LINCOLN  ROOM 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 

MEMORIAL 

the  class  of  1901 

founded  by 
HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 
HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


If  you  wish  to  obtain  a  copy  of  this  Book,  send  $1.50  to 

J.  C.  POWER, 

P.  O.  Box,  800. 
SPKINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS, 

And  it  will  bo  sent  to  you  by  mail  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States. 


SPRINGFIELD, 
ILLINOIS. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR 

v^Vv\\  A\v. 


HISTORY 


OF 


AN  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY 


OF 


RAHAM  LINCOLN, 

(LATE  PBESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA) 


INCLUDING  A   HISTORY  OF 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 


WITH  EIGHT  YEARS  LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  SERVICES. 


EDITED  BY 

JOHN  CARROLL  POWER, 

CUSTODIAN  OF  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT  AND 
SECBETAKY  OF  THE  LINCOLN  GUAED  OF  HONOB. 


SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.: 

THE  H.  W.  ROKKER  PRINTING  AND  PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 

1890. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  April  19,  18S7, 

BY  JOHN  CARROLL  POWER. 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


P 


INTRODUCTORY. 


This  volume  is  a  record,  in  the  plainest  language  possible, 
of  the  plottings  prior  to,  and  of  the  attempt  to  steal,  the 
body  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  order  to  make  merchandise  of 
it.  Man,  in  the  order  of  creation,  is  justly  regarded  as  the 
master-piece.  He  is  endowed  with  attributes  that  bring  him 
nearer  the  throne  of  Deity  than  any  other  created  being  in 
the  physical  world.  He  also  has  within  him  a  germ  of  evil, 
which,  if  not  kept  under  subjection  by  the  good  and  the  true, 
drags  him  down  to  unfathomable  depths  of  infamy.  There 
could  not  be  a  more  forcible  manifestation  of  the  truth  of 
the  latter  than  the  undisputed  fact,  that  there  are  always 
beings  in  human  form  who,  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  money, 
would  first  unlawfully  gain  possession  of  the  dead  body  of 
one  of  ihe  greatest  benefactors  of  the  human  family,  and 
then  make  use  of  the  advantage  thus  gained  to  extort  wealth 
from  those  who  are  in  sympathy  with  hi-<  life  and  public  ser- 
vices. That  this  is  all  tru;^,  the  reader  will  be  convinced  by  a 
perusal  of  the  sui-ceeding  pages  of  this  history. 

The  Memorial  Services  conducted  by  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  were,  primarily,  to  keep  the  members  of  our  own 
organization  in  line,  ready  for  action  against  any  threatened 
demonstration  to  once  more  desecrate  the  resting  place  of 
the  Martyr,  terminatin-;'  in  the  burial  of  his  body  beyond 
reach,  in  one  night,  of  all  ghouls  and  vandals  combined.  Then 
it  was  all-important  that  we  should  present  a  tangible  reason 
to  the  public  for  the  existence  of  such  a  society,  which  we 
could  only  do  by  holding  these  services.  To  have  explained 
to  too  many  friends,  might,  by  the  indiscretion  of  some, 
have  had  the  same  effect  as  treason  to  our  trust.  These  ser- 
vices will  furnish  a  variety  of  expression  that  will  be  pleasing- 
to  all  lovers  of  their  country  and  of  human  freedom— especially 
to  all  patriotic  Americans. 

J.  C.  P. 

MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 
SPIUNGFIELD,  ILLINOIS,  October,  1S89. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor Frontispiece. 

Map  of  Monument  Grounds 48 

Ground  Plan  of  Monument 50 

National  Lincoln  Monument — South  View 52 

National  Lincoln  Monument— North  View 54 

Interior  of  Catacomb,  as  Thieves  left  it 56 

Interior  of  Catacon  b,  restored 58 

Profile  of  Lincoln,  and  small  cut  of  Monument 110 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  Badge Ill 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  Seal. 168 

German  Turners'  Tablet — Facing 223 

Monument  to  Thomas  Lincoln i 239 

Power  Coat  of  Arms 2(59 

Portrait  of  J.  C.  Power— Facing „ 271 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

DIVISION  FIRST 7.....       9-17 

Respect  for  Besting  Places  of  the  Dead— Desecration  of  the  Tomb  of  Rev. 
George  Whitt.-fleld— Bone  from  one  of  his  arms  sent  to  England— The 
Tomb  of  George  Washington  invaded  —  First  Plot  to  Steal  the  Body  of 
Lincoln  laid  by  a  Springfield  Lawyer— Second  Plot  by  a  Counterfeiter  in 
St.  Louis— Counterfeiters  and  Thieves  to  put  it  into  execution— Scheme 
well  laid,  but  Whisky  defeats  it— The  principal  Conspirator  changes  his  base. 


DIVISION  SECOND 18-27 

Plots  and  Counterplots  Discovered  by  a  former  Government  officer— Cor- 
respondence with,  and  Statements  by,  parties  who  were  cognizant  of  parts 
of  the  Plots— Widely  separated  with  the  flight  of  time  — Ignorance  and 
Whisky  the  general  cause  of  defeat  in  such  schemes. 


DIVISION  THIRD 27-38 

Thieves,  Counterfeiters  and  Counterfeit  Engravers  —  Jack  Hughes— Lewis 
C.  Swegles— P.  D.  Tyrell,  of  the  United  States  Secret  Service— The  Hub— 
Terrence  Mullens— First  intimation  to  the  officers  of  a  Plot  to  Steal  Lin- 
coln's body  to  secure  the  release  of  Ben  Boyd— Ben  Boyd  and  Nelson 
Driggs  the  most  expert  Counterfeit  eng  avers  in  the  United  States— Their 
Arrest  at  the  same  hour,  though  200  miles  apart— Sketch  of  Boyd,  with 
his  aliases— His  work  as  a  Counterfeiter— Account  of  his  Capture— Driggs' 
Solid  Wealth— Trial,  Conviction  and  Sentence  of  Boyd— Talents  necessary 
to  be  an  expert  Counterfeit  nng.aver. 


DIVISION  FOURTH 38-67 

Plo'.ting  in  Chicago  to  Steal  the  Body  of  Lincoln— Discovered  in  Hunting 
for  Counterfeiters— Thieves,  like  fish,  can  only  be  caught  with  the  right 
bai!— Watchmen  placed  at  the  Lincoln  Monument  — Brief  sketch  of  the 
U.  S.  Secret  Service— Assumes  immense  proportions  in  consequence  of 
the  Slaveholders'  Rebellion — Large  sums  of  money  appropriated  by  Con- 
gress—Chiefs of  the  Secret  Service— Counterfeit  and  Stolen  Money  recov- 
ered— Plates  for  Treasury  notes,  National  Banknotes,  fractional  currency 


VIII  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

DIVISION  THIRTEENTH  .............................................................  226-243 

Seventh  Annual  Meeting  and  Election  of  Officers  —  Seventh  Memorial  Ser- 
vice—Prayer by  Dr.  Springer—  Oration  by  Major  James  A.  Connolly- 
Poem,  "Our  Eloauent  Dead"—  Poem  and  Monument  at  the  Grave  of  Lin- 
Lincoln's  Father—  Dirge  —  Beading  by  C.  L.  Conkling—  Prayer  and  Bene- 
diction by  Rabbi  Charles  Austrian—  Meeting  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor. 

DIVISION  FOURTEENTH  ............................................................  224-265- 

Eighth  Annual  Meeting  and  Election  of  Officers—  Exhuming,  Identifying  and 
Reburial  of  the  Bodies—  Eighth  Memorial  Service—  Programme—  Invoca- 
tion by  Dr.  McElroy—  Singing—  Oration  by  Bishop  Seymour—  Oration  by 
Hon.  "W.  H.  Collins—  Historical  Sketch  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor- 
Prayer  and  Benediction  by  Dr.  Springer. 


DIVISION 


Membership  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor—  G.  S.  Dana—  J.  N  Reece— 
J.  C.  Power—  E.  S.  Johnson—  J.  F.  McNeill—  J.  P.  Lindley—  N.  B.  Wiggins 
—  Horace  Chapin—  C.  L.  Conkling. 


DIVISION   FIRST. 


Kespect  for  the  Resting  Places  of  the  Dead  almost  Universal — Desecration  of  the 
Tomb  of  Eev.  George  Whitefield  and  of  George  Washington — r  irst  Plot  to 
Steal  the  Body  of  Lincoln  by  a  Lawyer — Second  Plot  by  a  Counterfeiter — 
Counterfeiters  and  Thieves  to  put  it  into  Execution— The  Scheme  well  laid, 
but  Whisky  Defeats  It — Principal  Conspirator  Changes  his  Base. 


Respect  for  the  remains  and  burial  places  of  the  dead  is  an. 
instinct  of  our  nature,  or  a  principle  implanted  by  Diety  in 
the  breasts  of  the  human  family.  Unswerved  by  passion, 
prejudice  or  cupidity,  this  feeling  would  always  control  the 
actions  of  men.  But  there  is  another  principle,  or  rather  a 
want  of  it,  in  human  nature,  in  direct  conflict  with  the  Divine 
one  just  alluded  to.  When  men  are  moved  by  the  latter,  a 
demoniac  frenzy,  sometimes  mistaken  for  religious  zeal,  and 
at  others,  believed  by  those  who  act  in  the  matter  to  be  pa- 
triotic fervor,  governs  them.  Instances  might  be  mentioned 
in  history  where,  years  and  even  centuries  after  death,  the 
bones  of  distinguished  divines  and  statesmen  have  been  ex- 
humed, burned,  their  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds,  and  other 
indignities  practiced  towards  them.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to 
cite  any  of  those  cases  in  other  lands,  but  will  confine  myself 
to  two  in  our  own  country,  one  through  mistaken  religious 
zeal  and  veneration  for  the  subject,  the  other  without  ap- 
parent motive. 

Rev.  George  Whitefield,  the  great  revivalist  preacher,  after 
a  life  of  marvelous  success  in  turning  men  from  lives  of  sin 
and  ungodliness  to  embrace  Christianity,  both  in  England 
and  America,  died  Sept.  30,  1770,  at  Newburyport,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  had  often  felt  his  soul  so  much  comforted  white 
preaching  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Newburyport,  that 
he  expressed  a  desire  to  be  buried  beneath  its  pulpit,  if  he- 
should  die  in  that  part  of  the  country.  In  compliance  with 
this  request,  a  vault  was  prepared  under  the  pulpit,  and  his 
remains  deposited  in  it  Oct.  2,  1770.  For  more  than  half  a> 


10  ATTE:,IPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

century  his  tomb  was  visited  by  thousands,  without  any  act 
of  desecration.  Whitefleld  was  buried  in  his  gown,  cossack, 
bands  and  wig,  and  some  time  anterior  to  1827,  an  act 
prompted  by  thoughtless  zeal,  without  an  element  of  malice, 
was  committ?d.  Rev.  L.  Tyerman,  in  his  Life  of  Whitefleld, 
relates  the  incident  in  this  way:  "Many  years  ago,  Mr.  Bol- 
ton,  an  Englishman,  and  one  of  Whitefield's  admirers,  wished 
to  obtain  a  small  memento  of  the  great  preacher.  A  friend 
of  Bolton's  stole  the  main  bone  of  AVhitefield's  right  arm, 
and  sent  it  to  England.  Bolton  was  horrified  with  his  friend's 
sacrilegious  act,  and  carefully  returned  the  bone,  in  1G37 
{another  account  says  1849)  to  Rev.  Dr.  J.  F.  Stearns,  then 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Newburyport.  Great  interest  was 
created  by  the  restoration  of  Whitefl eld's  relic.  A  procession 
of  two  thousand  people  followed  it  to  the  grave,  and  it  was 
restored  to  its  original  position.  That  bone  now  lies  cross- 
Avise  near  the  region  of  the  breast,  and  the  little  box  in  which 
it  was  returned  is  laid  upon  the  coffin." 

Having  learned  that  an  attempt  was  once  made  to  steal 
the  remains  of  George  Washington,  I  searched  every  old  news- 
paper file,  and  "Nile's  Register,"  the  most  popular  periodical 
of  its  time,  without  finding  a. word  on  the  subject.  I  wrote 
to  Col.  J.  McH.  HollingswTorth,  then  Superintendent  of  Mount 
Vernon.  In  a  letter  from  him  under  date  of  March  29,  1877, 
I  find  this  language:  "I  would  say  that  the  only  attempt 
that  was  ever  made  to  steal  the  remains  of  Washington,  was 
during  the  year  1830.  The  offender  was  detected  and  captured, 
and  it  was  found  that  he  had  the  skull  and  some  of  the  bones 
of  one  of  the  Blackburn  family."  (AVhat  relation  the  Black- 
burn family  bears  to  Washington,  or  how  their  remains  came 
to  lie  in  his  tomb,  I  have  never  learned.) 

Col.  Hollingsworth  referred  me  to  a  book  entitled,  the 
"Home  of  Washington,"  by  Benson  J.  Lossing.  Finding  so 
little  there.  I  wrote  to  the  venerable  historian  and  received 
the  following  reply: 

THE  KIDGE,  DOVER  PLAINS,  N.  Y.,  June  19,  1877. 

DEAB  SIB  : — Your  favor  of  the  15th  instant  reached  me  last  evening.  I  regret 
that  I  cannot  add  anything  to  what  I  have  stated  in  "  Home  of  Washington."  So 
much  and  no  more  was  told  me,  about  thirty  years  ago,  by  George  Washington 
Parke  Custis,  at  Arlington  House.  I  first  published  the  facts  in  my  "  Field  Book 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  11 

•of  the  Revolution."  Mr.  Custis  gave  me  no  other  clue  to  the  culprit,  than  that  it 
was  a  physician,  living  some  distance  from  Mount  Vernon.  and  that  he  obtained 
only  a  skull  and  a  few  bones  of  remains  in  the  old  vault,  which  were  not  Wash- 
ington's." 

George  Washington  Parke  Custis  having  died  in  1857,  prob- 
ably very  soon  after  giving  the  information  to  Mr.  Lossing, 
there  is  now  no  opportunity  to  obtain  further  information 
from  any  person  connected  with  the  Washington  family. 

Mr.  Lossing,  in  the  ''Home  of  Washington,"  says:  "For 
thirty  years  the  remains  of  Washington  lay  undisturbed  in 
the  old  vault,  when  the  tomb  was  entered  and  an  attempt 
made  to  carry  away  the  bones  of  the  illustrious  dead.  Others 
were  taken  by  mistake,  and  the  robber  being  detected,  they 
Avere  restored." 

We  have  no  intimation  of  the  motive  of  the  robber,  but  the 
absence  of  any  attempt  to  extort  money,  leaves  it  a  matter 
of  conjecture.  If  it  was  for  scientific  purposes  the  robber  de- 
feated his  own  object,  for  he  would  not  dare  to  make  use  of 
the  knowledge  thus  obtained.  It  is  most  probable  that  he 
^vas  simply  moved  by  a  morbid  desire  to  obtain  a  relic  con- 
nected with  an  illustrious  name,  and  that  if  he  had  been  per- 
mitted to  keep  it  he  never  could  have  enjoyed  the  poor 
privilege  of  boasting  of  his  possession. 

George  Washington  and  our  fathers  won  their  independence 
of  a  foreign  foe,  but,  in  framing  the  new  government,  they 
were,  from  the  force  of  their  surroundings,  compelled  to  choose 
between  the  danger  of  falling  a  prey  to  some  other  national 
power,  for  want  of  a  stronger  band  of  union  than  that  un- 
der which  they  had  achieved  their  independence,  and  leaving 
a  fetter  for  their  children  to  break.  The  true  patriots  among 
them  vainly  hoped  that  the  fetter  of  human  slavery  would 
gradually  yield  to  the  principle  they  had  so  boldly  enunciated 
and  sustained  through  seven  years  of  bloody  war,  that  all 
men  are  created  equal.  But  slavery,  like  a  torpid  viper 
warmed  into  life,  at  first  sectional,  was  for  a  time  humble 
and  supplicating,  until  it  gradually  gained  strength  and  ac- 
quired almost  a  complete  mastery  over  the  nation.  By  un- 
warranted assumptions  of  authority,  extending  over  more 
than  half  a  century,  and  the  prostitution  of  the  judicial  er- 
mine to  its  base  purposes,  it  was  in  the  very  act  of  making 
freedom  sectional,  or  subordinate,  and  itself  becoming 


12  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

national.  Faithful  sentinels  appeared  on  the  battlements  of  lib- 
erty. Many  polished  writers  and  eloquent  orators  sounded 
their  warning  notes.  Some  were  stricken  down  with  blud- 
geons, both  out  and  in  the  councils  of  the  nation.  Some 
were  hung  by  the  neck  and  others  shot  to  death  in  their 
efforts  to  arouse  the  people  in  defense  of  their  liberties.  At 
length,  one  arose  out  of  the  very  depths  and  degradation  of 
slavery,  uncouth  in  person,  uneducated  in  the  schools,  unin- 
fluenced by  the  marts  of  trade,  honest  and  fearless.  He  de- 
fines the  relat;ve  position  of  slavery  and  freedom  in  language 
so  plain  and  simple  as  to  charm  the  high  and  the  low,  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  the  polished  educator  and  the  illiterate 
citizen.  He  was  soon  recognized  as  a  born  leader  of  the  hosts 
of  freedom  in  the  impending  struggle,  and  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  elected  President  of  the  United  States  of  America.  Four 
months  before  he  could  exercise  any  official  authority,  slavery 
saw  that  it  could  no  longer  rule  the  nation,  and  commenced 
the  work  of  destroying  it  by  forming  another  and  hostile  na- 
tion from  its  territory.  The  chief  corner-stone  of  this  new 
nation  was  avowedly  to  be,  not  human  freedom,  but  human 
slavery.  Near  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  to  establish  this 
new  nation  on  the  principles  of  human  bondage,  Lincoln 
said: 

"It  seems  as  if  God  had  borne  with  this  thing — slavery — 
until  the  very  teachers  of  religion  have  come  to  defend  it 
from  the  Bible,  and  to  claim  for  it  a  divine  character  and 
sanction ;  and  now  the  cup  of  iniquity  is  full  and  the  vials  of 
wrath  will  be  poured  out." 

After  four  years  of  war,  the  sacrifice  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  human  lives,  and  billions  of  dollars  in  treasure, 
slavery  was  overthrown  and  the  Nation  saved.  In  its  death 
throes,  slavery,  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  slew  the  good 
President.  Slavery  was  dead  but  its  spirit  lived,  and  there 
was  a  lower  depth  of  infamy  to  which  it  could  sink.  It  could 
no  longer,  by  the  lash,  extort  money  from  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  the  living  slave  ;  its  next  move  was  an  effort  by 
demons  in  human  form,  under  full  control  of  its  diabolical 
spirit,  and  in  utter  disregard  of  the  rights  and  decencies  of 
humanity,  to  speculate  on  the  dead  body  of  the  great  Eman- 
cipator, as  if  in  revenge  for  his  having  rescued  so  many  vic- 
tims from  its  cruel  grasp. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  13 

In  1867,  only  two  years  after  the  death  of  President  Lin- 
coln, a  lawyer  in  Springfield,  unknown  to  fame,  conceived 
the  brilliant  idea  of  stealing  the  body  of  the  President,  con- 
veying it  South,  perhaps  outside  of  the  United  States,  secret- 
ing it,  and  waiting  for  the  offer  of  a  ransom,  to  reveal  its 
place  of  concealment.  He  communicated  his  designs  to  two 
young  men,  one  a  telegraph  operator,  the  other  a  mechanic, 
and  tried  to  induce  them  to  take  part  with  him  in  the 
conspiracy.  They  both  declined,  and  he  abandoned  the 
project,  most  probably  because  in  his  offer  to  them  he  had 
furnished  witnesses  against  himself.  The  lawyer  died  a  few 
years  later.  Neither  of  the  young  men  are  living  in  Spring- 
iield  now. 

But  the  plot  of  all  plots,  for  infamy,  in  conspiring  to  steal 
the  dead  body  of  a  human  being,  and  hold  it  in  concealment, 
with  the  hope  of  extorting  ransom  money,  originated  with  a 
man  by  the  name  of  James  B.  Kinealy,  alias  big  Jim  Kin- 
nelly.  He  was  convicted  of  having  passed  a  counterfeit  fifty 
dollar  note  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  was  sentenced  to  five 
yea,rs  in  the  penitentiary  at  Joliet.  He  was  serving  out  that 
term  in  1870,  when  Elmer  Washburn  was  warden  there.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  five  years,  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, and  there  either  really  or  ostensibly  became  partner 
in  a  livery  business.  Most  likely  his  livery  business  was  only 
a  cover  to  other  movements.  He  was  in  league  with  expert 
engravers  and  printers  of  counterfeit  money.  By  methods 
which  he  seemed  to  understand  well,  he  organized  bands  of 
men  at  different  points,  and  somehow  got  into  communica- 
tion with  other  bauds  already  organized,  all  of  whom  he 
supplied  with  coney,  or  bogus  money,  at  a  greatly  reduced 
rate,  for  all  the  good  money  they  could  raise.  He  would 
transact  business  with  one  only  of  any  given  band,  and 
would  never  permit  that  one  to  introduce  another  of  the 
band,  or  gang,  to  him.  That  one  might  gather  all  the  good 
money  his  gang  could  raise,  go  to  Kinealy  with  it,  and  let 
him  know  what  was  wanted  in  return.  Kinealy  Avould,  in  a 
round-about  way,  go  to  his  engraver  and  printer  and  let 
him  know  what  was  wanted,  and  agree  upon  a  place  where 
it  should  be  deposited,  either  by  a  tree  or  stump,  or  the 
corner  of  a  building  or  fence,  in  a  sewer  or  under  a  rock, 
-any  good  hiding  place,  where  it  never  was  expected  to  stay 


14  ATTEMPT    TO   STEAL   THE   BODY   OF   LINCOLN. 

long.  He  would  then  return  to  his  visiting-  patron,  get  all 
his  good  money,  take  a  walk  with  him,  and  from  a  safe  dis- 
tance point  out  the  spot  where  the  bogus  money  could  be 
found,  keep  in  waiting  until  his  patron  obtained  it,  and  gave 
a  preconcerted  signal  that  all  was  right,  then  each  would  go 
his  way  without  coining  within  speaking  distance  of  each 
other,  until  another  visit.  In  this  way  Kinealy,  who  was  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  was  doing  more  than  any  other  ten  or 
twenty  men  to  put  counterfeit  money  into  circulation,  but 
his  natural  shrewdness  was  such,  that  although  his  methods- 
were  known  to  detective  officers,  they  could  never  get  a  legal 
hold  on  him,  for  he  never  touched  a  dollar  of  bad  money. 
He  was  the  man  who  originated  the  scheme  to  steal  the  re- 
mains of  President  Lincoln. 

In  June,  1876,  the  Chief  of  Police  for  the  City  of  Springfield,. 
Mr.  Abner  Wilkinson,  called  the  Custodian  of  the  Lincoln 
Monument  aside,  while  he  was  walking  along  the  streets,  and 
told  him  confidentially,  that  in  the  discharge  of  his  official 
duties  he  had  discovered  a  plot  to  steal  the  remains  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  The  plan,  as  he  understood  it,  was  to  take  the 
body  from  the  catacomb  at  the  monument,  conceal  it  in  some 
safe  place,  and  when  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  was  offered 
as  a  reward  for  revealing  its  place  of  concealment,  have  some 
accomplice  who  could  prove  himself  to  have  been  a  long  dis- 
tance away  at  the  time  it  was  taken,  find  it  in  a  seemingly 
accidental  manner,  obtain  the  reward  and  divide  it  among 
the  parties  concerned  in  the  scheme.  Mr.  AVilkinson  closed 
with  the  suggestion  to  the  Custodian  that  he  should  inform 
the  members  of  the  Monument  Association,  in  order  to  give 
them  an  opportunity  to  take  some  precautions  to  guard 
against  the  contemplated  desecration.  Acting  on  this  sug- 
gestion the  Custodian  conveyed  the  information  to  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart,  Col.  John  Williams  and  Jacob  Bunn,  then  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  As- 
sociation, and  it  seemed  to  them  so  incredible  that  no  atten- 
tion was  given  to  it. 

The  beginning  of  the  Centennial  year  found  a  band  of  thieves 
and  counterfeiters,  numbering  sixteen  men, — the  names  of 
whom  are  all  in.  the  possession  of  the  writer, — with  their  head- 
quarters at  the  town  bearing  the  name  of  our  martyred  Presi- 
dent, Lincoln,  the  county  seat  of  Logan  county,  Illinois.  It- 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  15 

is  thirty  miles  north  of  Springfield,  on  the  Chicago,  Alton  and 
St.  Louis  Railroad.  One  of  this  band  has  been  heard  to  say, 
that  when  in  the  full  tide  of  their  operations,  there  was  more 
counterfeit  than  genuine  money  in  circulation  in  Logan 
county.  Five  of  that  band  came  to  Springfield  in  March, 
1876,  rented  a  store  room  at  the  north  side  of  Jefferson 
street,  second  door  west  of  Fifth,  opened  a  drinking  saloon, 
and  fitted  up  the  room  over  it  for  dancing.  One  of  the  five 
was  selected  as  the  bartender  and  was  the  ostensible  pro- 
prietor. The  others  were  present  by  ones  and  t\vos,  as 
hangers  on.  The  object  of  keeping  this  establishment  was 
that  they  might  be  enabled  to  ply  their  business  of  shoving 
counterfeit  money,  and  use  it  as  a  rendezvous  where  they 
could,  without  arousing  suspicion,  lay  their  plans  to  steal  the 
body  of  President  Lincoln.  They  had  frequent  meetings,  each 
and  all  visited  the  monument,  mingled  with  other  visitors, 
and  one  and  another  would  ask  such  questions  as  would 
bring  out  all  the  facts  about  the  different  enclosures  of  the 
body,  including  the  sarcophagus,  as  would  by  important  for 
them  to  know.  Early  in  June  every  detail  was  arranged,  and 
the  night  of  July  3,  1876,  agreed  upon  as  the  time  for  putting* 
their  diabolical  designs  into  execution.  They  were  to  open 
the  marble  sarcophagus,  and  take  the  body  in  the  leaden  and 
wood  coffins,  convey  all  to  the  Sangamon  river  about  two 
miles  north,  and  bury  it  in  a  gravel  bar  under  a  bridge,  then 
disperse  and  wait  for  a  reward,  or  an  opportunity  to  negotiate 
for  its  return. 

The  time  was  chosen  with  demoniac  shrewdness.  Tha  mis- 
creants judged  that,  on  the  morning  of  July  4th,  while  the 
people  in  every  part  of  our  nation,  with  the  most  elaborate 
preparations,  were  in  the  very  act  of  giving  expression  to  a 
hundred  years  of  self-sa?rifieing  patriotism,  in  founding  and 
perfecting  a  system  of  government  under  which  all  men  are 
free,  to  have  the  news  conveyed  to  them  by  lightning  flashes, 
that  the  remains  of  the  beloved  central  figure,  in  the  crown- 
ing act,  had  been  ignominiously  torn  from  their  resting  place 
in  the  stately  Mausoleum  erected  for  the  purpose,  by  the 
people,  would  call  forth  fabulous  sums  of  money,  as  free-will 
offerings,  that  they  might  be  rescued  from  vandal  hands. 

But  Satan  sometimes  furnishes  the  means  to  defeat  his  best 
laid  schemes,  and  thus  overleaps  himself,  and  this  was  one  of 


16  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

such  occasions.  Gen.  Peter  Horry,  of  South  Carolina,  a  local 
historian  of  the  American  Revolution,  makes  use  of  the  fol- 
lowing language:  "That  great  poet,  John  Milton,  who  seems 
to  have  known  him  well,  assures  us  that  the  devil  was  the 
inventor  of  gunpowder.  But,  for  my  own  part,  were  I  in  the 
humor  to  ascribe  any  particular  invention  to  the  author  of 
all  evil,  it  should  be  that  of  distilling  apple  brandy.  We 
have  Scripture  for  it  that  he  began  his  capers  with  the  apple ; 
then,  why  not  go  on  Avith  the  brandy,  which  is  but  the  fiery 
juice  of  the  apple." 

Gen.  Horry  then  relates  a  number  of  instances  of  the  dis- 
astrous effects  of  intoxicating  drinks  among  the  soldiers  who 
achieved  our  independence,  closing  with  one  in  which  it  acci- 
dentally did  good  by  preventing  a  battle  between  two  parties 
of  patriots.  This  makes  it  in  order  here  to  relate  how 
whisky  defeated  the  best  laid  scheme  ever  devised,  by  the  con- 
spirators, to  steal  the  remains  of  President. Lincoln. 

When  their  preparations  were  all  complete,  there  were  two 
or  three  weeks'  time  to  while  away  in  idleness,  while  waiting 
for  the  night  of  July  3d.  This  was  the  most  trying  point. 
Until  that  time,  all  had  gone  along  smoothly,  for  each  and 
all  had  kept  their  secrets,  and  not  a  shadow  of  suspicion  had 
been  aroused.  During  this  period  of  waiting,  one  of  the  five 
who  came  to  Springfield  in  March  and  opened  the  saloon, 
a  man  of  more  intelligence  than  either  of  the  other  four,  or 
all  of  them  combined,  but  of  exceedingly  depraved  morals, 
became  elated  as  he  mentally  dwelt  upon  the  prospect  of  the 
great  wealth  they  expected  to  obtain  as  a  reward  for  giving 
up  the  remains  or  revealing  the  place  of  their  concealment, 
took  on  board  an  unusual  quantity  of  whisky,  went  around 
among  the  women  of  the  town,  and  confidentially  told  one  of 
the  keepers  of  a  house  of  ill-repute  that  he  was  in  a  con- 
spiracy to  "steal  old  Lincoln's  bones,"  and  would  by  that 
means  extort  so  much  money  from  some  source,  of  which  he 
did  not  seem  to  have  any  definite  idea,  as  a  reward  for  giv- 
ing up  their  secrets,  that  they  would  all  be  rich,  and  would 
expect  her  and  her  friends  to  help  them  spend  the  money. 

It  was  through  this  channel  that  Chief  of  Police  Wilkinson 
obtained  the  information  he  gave  to  the  Custodian  of  the 
Monument,  as  already  stated.  The  man  who  divulged  the 
secret  was  the  editor  of  a  political  paper  at  Lincoln.  He  left 


ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL   THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  17 

Spring-field  while  he  was  yet  intoxicated,  but  returning  in  a 
few  days  sober,  found  that  the  free  use  of  his  tongue  when 
•drunk,  had  defeated  the  whole  scheme.  The  contents  of  the 
saloon  were  soon  after  loaded  into  wagons  and  driven  away 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  leaving  a  rent  bill  unpaid.  Whisky 
alone  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  thwarted  this  well- 
laid  scheme  to  steal  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln,  but 
the  fact  that  there  was  such  a  scheme  did  not  at  the  time 
become  generally  known,  and  the  half  suppressed  rumors  of 
it  gained  but  little  credence  with  those  who  heard  it. 

Those  sixteen  men,  shoving  counterfeit  money  in  the  town 
of  Lincoln  and  Logan  county,  constituted  one  of  Kinealy's 
bands.  After  perfecting  the  scheme  in  his  own  mind,  he  com- 
municated it  to  the  messenger,  who  acted  between  him  and 
the  band,  when  the  messenger  was  on  one  of  his  trips  to  St. 
Louis,  to  exchange  good  for  bad  money ;  and  entrusted  that 
messenger  with  the  execution  of  the  plot.  It  was  he,  with 
four  others  whom  he  had  selected  from  the  sixteen,  who  came 
to  Springfield,  in  March,  1876,  and  opened  the  drinking 
saloon  and  dancing  room.  After  the  plot  was  divulged  by 
the  drunkenness  of  one  of  their  number,  in  June,  Kinealy  had 
nothing  more  to  do  with  any  of  the  Logan  county  band, 
and  for  a  time  disappeared  from  their  sight.  But  we  will 
have  something  more  to  say  about  him  in  due  time. 


18  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 


DIVISION  SECOND. 


Plots  and  Counter  Plots  Discovered  by  a  Former  Government  Officer — Correspon- 
dence with  several  parties  who  were  Cognizant  of  some  parts  of  the  Plots 
— Ignorance  and  Whisky  Defeat  Them. 


After  the  scheme  wrought  up  in  Springfield  and  exploded 
by  the  loquacity  of  one  of  the  conspirators  when  under  the 
influence  of  intoxicating  drinks,  the  writer  heard  that  there 
had  been  a  plot,  and  perhaps  counter  plots,  in  Logan  county, 
to  capture  the  body  of  President  Lincoln  and  hold  it  for  a 
ransom.  For  years  it  would  advance  and  recede  like  an 
ignis  fa-tuus.  At  one  time  the  information  came  that  a 
cavity  was  left  between  two  brick  walls  so  constructed  that  it 
would  appear  to  be  but  one  wall  or  part  of  a  building,  after 
the  casket  had  been  put  in  and  built  over.  It  was  said  that 
a  certain  man  knew  of  the  plot,  and  after  a  long  time  the 
writer  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  interview  with  him,  but  he 
proved  to  be  so  fearful  of  saying  something  that  would  bring 
vengeance  down  upon  himself,  that  everything  he  said  was 
vague  and  enigmatical.  After  six  or  seven  years  play  of  this 
kind  I  met  him  on  the  streets  of  Springfield  in  the  autumn 
of  1886,  when  he  voluntarily  said  that  he  would  write  a 
statement  and  place  it  in  my  hands,  which  he  did  in  Jan- 
uary or  February,  1887,  coming  from  Mt.  Pulaski,  for  that 
purpose,  rather  than  risk  it  by  mail.  By  previous  arrange- 
ment I  met  him  at  the  depot  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad, 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  and  he  returned  in  less  than 
an  hour  by  the  same  road.  He  had  been  a  government 
officer  in  Mt.  Pulaski  for  many  years.  I  shall  designate  him 
in  the  succeeding  pages  by  the  initials  B.  S.  L.,  and  his  in- 
formant as  M.  S.  W.,  and  his  informant,  the  discover  of  the 
plot,  as  G.  K  K.  These  initials  do  not  give  any  clue  to  the 


ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  19 

real  names  of  the  parties,  but  are  used  because  two  of  them, 
in  giving  the  information,  made  special  request  that  their 
names  should  not  be  mentioned.  This  getting  my  first  in- 
formation at  third  hands  and  going  back  from  one  to  an- 
other was  the  only  way  I  could  obtain  it,  and  it  seemed  to 
me  the  proper  way  to  present  it.  The  following  is  the  state- 
ment of  B.  S.  L.  in  condensed  form : 

"  On  a  dark,  dismal  night  in  the  fall  of  1876,  I  was  accosted  by  a  reputable  pro- 
fessional man,  an  every-day  acquaintance,  who  appeared  greatly  excited  and  \va  5- 
laboring  under  the  -influence  of  alarm,  and  desired  an  immediate  interview.  I  in- 
quired if  a  friend  was  dead,  or  if  some  great  calamity  had  befallen  himself  or  fam- 
ily. He  motioned  to  silence  and  to  my  own  home,  and  in  the  stillness  of  the  night, 
with  bated  breath,  he  proposed  an  appalling  story,  and  that  I  should  become  the 
medium  of  action  to  prevent  a  great,  wrong,  or  to  obtain  redress  in  the  event  of  its 
consummation.  I  at  first  declined  to  listen  to  any  statement  that  would  lead  me 
to  become  an  interested  party.  Being  assured  that  the  importance  of  the  case 
justified  some  sacrifice,  I  finally  consented  to  hear.  I  was  asked  to  give  a  pledge 
of  eternal  secrecy,  should  I  decline  to  enter  into  the  plan  about  to  be  developed. 
After  much  hesitancy,  I  took  the  desired  affirma'ion  to  be  true  to  the  trust  and 
divulge  nothing. 

"  This  professional  friend  then  proceeded  to  say  that  he  was  in  possession  of  the 
fact  that  a  scheme  was  on  foot  to  steal  the  body  of  President  Abraham  Lincoln 
from  the  sarcophagus  in  the  monument  at  Springfield.  He  then  proposed  that  I 
should  hear  the  whole  story,  go  to  the  proper  authorities  of  the  State,  and  make- 
such  terms  as  I  could  for  giving  the  information,  because  there  was  another  party 
between  this  professional  man  and  the  conspirators  who  would  expect  a  liberal! 
compensation.  This  third  party  was  a  business  man  in  that  part  of  Logan-county. 
He  had,  in  a  legitimate  way,  come  in  possession  of  the  fact  of  the  conspiracy,. 
and  that  it  was  the  work  of  about  eight  persons,  mostly  citizens  of  the  vicinity  of 
Mt.  Pulaski ;  that  they  were  every  day  in  view  and  could  be  apprehended  without 
difficulty.  They  had  an  earthly  cavern  prepared  in  a  place  so  secluded  that  it 
could  not  possibly  be  discovered.  The  professional  man  did  not  pretend  to  know 
anything  except  through  the  business  man  or  third  party,  who  would  come  for- 
ward at  the  proper  time  with  tho  inside  secrets  of  the  plot  and  the  location  of  the 
cave.  The  whole  soul  of  my  informant  seemed  aglow  with  the  importance  of  the 
subject,  and  I  became  greatly  interested,  but  had  misgivings  as  to  the  propriety  of 
entering  into  an  agreement  that  might  lead  to  serious  consequences,  should  the 
guilty  parties  be  apprehended  and  discover  their  prosecutor  in  the  person  of  a  go- 
between. 

"Healing  all,  and  having  promised,  I  accordingly  found  myself  next  morning 
hastening  towards  the  capital  of  our  State.  There  I  presented  myself  to  Gov. 
Beveridge,  and  in  his  private  office  related  the  story  substantially  as  given  me. 
The  Governor  expressed  himself  as  willing,  but  unable  to  render  or  promise  any 
aid.  He  referred  me  to  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association.  I  called  on  him,  and  detailed  the- 
story  and  its  requirements.  He  became  greatly  interested,  but  the  conditions 
amazed  him.  He  said  good  citizens  did  not  usually  demand  returns  for  their  good 
acts,  especially  in  aiding  to  thwart  such  a  sacrilegious  scheme  as  the  one  in-  con- 


20  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 

templation.  His  remarks  made  me  feel  that  my  mission  should  have  been  to  givo 
the  information  regardless  of  conditions.  I  reminded  him  that  I  could  not  do  that 
under  the  promise  made,  and  could  not  give  any  actual  information,  because  it  had 
not  yet  been  given  to  me.  He  kindly  recommended  and  insisted  that  I  go  to  Chi- 
cago, and  lay  the  matter  before  Messrs.  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  Leonard  Swett  and 
Elmer  Washburn,  the  latter  being  at  that  time  chief  of  the  United  States  Secret 
Service.  I  reached  that  city  next  morning,  called  on  Mr.  Lincoln  at  his 
office,  who,  after  hearing  the  story,  made  an  appointment  for  himself  and  the  other 
gentlemen,  to  which  I  was  invited.  The  story  was  told,  and  the  conditions  named. 
To  me  it  was  a  most  humiliating  interview.  I  found  myself  acting  in  the  capacity 
of  a  rogue's  backer.  When  the  stoiy  was  related  and  the  questioning  that  followed, 
my  position  became  most  unenviable.  Mr.  Swett  particularly  had  no  patience  with, 
or  willingness  to  offer  or  give  rewards  to,  'such  fiends  incarnate.'  Mr.  Lincoln 
thought  justice  would  overtake  the  villains,  without  rewards  or  favors.  Mr.  Wash- 
burn  could  take  in  the  situation  better  by  looking  over  the  ground,  see  the  party, 
and  hearing  particulars  from  first  hands.  As  before,  I  assured  him  that  I  could 
neither  give  the  name  of  my  informant,  nor  point  out  places;  that  I  absolutely 
knew  neither  beyond  my  informant;  that  the  most  I  could  do,  would  be  to  point 
out  my  informant,  and  that  I  would  only  do  under  compulsion.  My  name  and 
position  was  accepted  by  them  as  entirely  satisfactory,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned. 
They  would  not  for  an  instant  reflect  upon  me,  but  why  should  so  unreasonable  a 
demand  be  insisted  upon  by  a  good  and  true  citizen,  whom  I  was  representing,  but 
he  claimed  himself  as  innocent  of  all  knowledge  of  the  matter  as  a  new  born  babe, 
except  such  information  as  came  to  him  from  the  third  party.  Bidding  all  a  hope- 
ful good  bye,  I  departed,  and  in  the  evening  took  the  8:30  train  on  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral railroad,  via  Gilman,  for  home.  Not  until  I  stepped  from  the  train  at  Mt. 
Pulaski,  about  four  o'clock  next  morning,  did  I  realize  that  the  shadow  which  had 
been  continually  near  me  from  the  time  I  left  the  law  office  where  I  held  the  inter- 
view with  the  three  gentlemen  in  Chicago,  was  still  following  me,  and  remained  in 
eight  for  a  week  after. 

"I  reported  to  my  informant,  but  .nothing  could  be  done  because  no  rewards 
were  offered,  without  which  he  could  not  control  the  party  next  to  him.  If  harm 
came  to  any  of  the  conspirators,  I  began  to  realize  that  both  myself  and  my  inform- 
ant were  in  imminent  danger.  I  would  not  willingly  be  placed  in  such  a  position 
again  under  any  circumstances.  I  informed  Mr.  Washburn  and  the  other  gentle- 
men by  letter,  of  the  situation.  Matters  came  to  a  focus  soon  after  by  the  arrest 
of  two  parties,  who  were  afterwards  tried,  convicted  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 
From  the  facts  developed  on  the  trial,  and  the  conclusion  of  the  same,  it  is  more 
than  evident  that  but  one-fourth  of  the  guilty  crew  were  caught,  or  if  those  caught 
were  not  a  part  of  the  gang — of  eight — here  in  the  Mount,  then  two  different  sets 
•were  at  work  with  the  same  end  in  view.  From  the  fact  that  the  guilty  fellows 
caught  were  tracked  in  their  flight,  in  the  direct  line  of  the  intended  route  over 
which  the  body  was  to  be  taken,  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  but  one 
crew.  [The  parties  tried  and  convicted  never  belonged  to  this  gang. — Editor.] 
The  plan  was  to  carry  the  body  by  relays.  The  first  ones  were  to  be  met  north  of 
Springfield,  pass  it  to  the  second  ones,  when  the  first  would  retire  to  their  usual 
haunts  and  thus  allay  any  suspicion  that  might  arise.  The  second  relay  would  do 
the  same  on  passing  it  to  the  third,  who  were  to  carry  it  to  the  cave.  Various  cir- 
cumstances pointed  to  a  bluff  as  the  location  of  the  cave.  This  bluff  was  among 
the  Salt  Creek  hills,  a  wild,  weird  place,  where  many  murders  had  been  committed. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  21 

It  was  within  two  hours  drive,  going  and  coming  from  Mt.  Pulaski.  The  distance, 
therefore,  must  have  been  less  than  nine,  and  probably  not  more  than  eight  miles, 
in  a  northeast  direction.  A  warning  voice  advised  no  betrayal  of  what  was  said, 
done  or  seen,  and  no  adventurous  lookout.  I  strictly  obeyed  orders.  Sooner  or 
later  that  cavern  will  bo  discovered,  and  the  location  pointed  out,  unless  it  is  filled 
up  or  otherwise  destroyed.  Time  will  lead  one  of  the  eight  to  unfold  the  story  and 
make  known  the  facts  concerning  it.  My  informant,  as  already  said,  was  a  profes- 
sional man  of  this  place,  (Mt.  Pulaski).  His  duties  led  him  into  the  secret  by 
accidentally  coming  upon  and  into  the  trail  of  the  gang.  Later,  one  of  them,  after 
the  body  stealing  effort  failed,  proposed  to  turn  State's  evidence  in  the  manner  and 
upon  the  conditions  heretofore  mentioned.  That  my  informant  was  innocent  of 
any  part  or  had  any  knowledge  of  the  matter,  is  most  apparent.  None  of  the  cir- 
cumstances could  possibly  implicate  him.  Although  the  effort  failed,  the  rendez- 
vous was  not  entirely  abandoned,  and  it  was  on  one  of  these  occasions  that  found 
him  face  to  face  with  the  villain  or  villains.  From  where  they  came  I  never 
heard,  or  who  they  were  I  never  learned.  Neither  name  nor  place  was  ever  given 
me.  Circumstances  alone  were  given.  The  place  is  only  guessed  at  from  direc- 
.tion  and  the  time  required  in  making  the  trips.  It  was  my  first  experience  of  tho 
kind,  and  I  will  never  again  be  found  accepting  a  part  that  belongs  alone  to  officers 
of  the  law." 

The  foregoing  is  the  substance  of  what  the  editor  received 
from  Mr.  B.  S.  L.,  after  so  many  years  watching  and  waiting. 
I  asked,  to  be  put  in  communication  with  his  informont,  who 
had  left  Illinois.  Failing  in  that,  I  wrote  to  the  postmaster 
of  Mt.  Pulaski,  and  learned  that  the  professional  man  had 
moved  to  Kansas.  Addressing  him  there  and  giving  him  a 
somewhat  lengthy  account  of  the  information  I  already  pos- 
sessed, and  that  I  desired  a  statement  from  him  on  the  sub- 
ject. After  waiting  until  I  began  to  think  he  did  not  desire 
to  give  me  any  information,  I  received  a  postal  card  as 
follows : 

WALLA  WALLA,  Washington  Ter.  Dec.  18, 1886.— J.  C.  Power,  Springfield,  111., 

Sir  :     Your  letter  of  the  9th  instant  has  been  forwarded  to  me  here  from  W , 

Kansas,  and  will  try  and  answer  you  fully  in  a  few  days.  Will  render  you  any  ser- 
vice I  can,  consistently.  You  may  be  in  possession  of  more  facts  than  I  can  give 
you  without  permission.  Very  truly  yours, 

M.  W.  S. 

Five  days  later  I  received  a  letter  from  him,  of  which  the 
following  is  the  substance: 

WALLA  WALLA,  Washington  Ter.,  Dec.  23,  1886.^J.  C.  Power,  Springfield,  111., 
Dear  Sir:  Your  very  interesting  letter  of  the  yth  instant,  directed  to  mo  at  my 
home  in  Kansas,  reached  me  a  few  days  ago.  I  left  Kansas  Oct.  1st,  and  am  travel- 
ing for  the  health  of  my  family  and  self.  Referring  to  the  attempted  abduction  of 
the  remains  of  President  Lincoln,  will  say  that  the  material  facts  have  long  since 
passed  from  my  memory,  because,  after  the  arrest  of  Mullins  and  Hughes,  I  became 
incredulous  about  a  plot  having  ever  existed.  But  your  details  of  the  whole  trans- 


22  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

action,  revives  and  confirms  many  reports,  which  now  convinces  me  that  a  plot 

•was  really  consummated  in  Logan  County.    When  you  say  that  K y  concocted 

'.the  scheme  and  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the  representatives  of  the  Lincoln  gang  to 
^execute,  I  am  persuaded  there  was  some  truth  in  the  statement,  from  the  fact  that 
I  now  remember  that  some  of  the  parties  w  o  I  understood  were  connected 
vith  the  plot  were  afterwards  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  counterfeiting.  I  am 
still  more  convinced  of  a  second  plot  existing  from  the  further  fact,  after  you  recite 
the  details  and  incidents  of  the  arrest  of  Muilins  and  Hughes,  you  say  that  showed 
that  after  the  miscarriage  in  June,  he  (K— y)  changed  his  base  and  formed  a  new  plot. 
You  are  very  correctly  advised  that  all  the  information  I  once  had  came  to  me 
Involuntarily.  But  it  is  true  I  used  my  every  endeavor  to  bring  to  light  this  sup- 
posed plot ;  and,  as  no  names  have  ever  passed  my  lips,  I  will  give  you  the  facts, 
as  I  remember  them,  of  the  manner  in  which  I  received  my  information,  my  en- 
deavor to  have  the  scoundrels  arrested  and  brought  to  justice,  and  my  not  reveal- 
Ing  any  names.  I  think  it  was  on  the  night  after  the  attempted  steal  I  came  up  on 
the  night  train  from  Springfield  to  Mt.  Pulaski,  and  at  the  depot  was  a  prosperous 
business  man  of  Logan  county  in  waiting  for  me,  who  said  that  he  had  a  burden 
-on  his  soul  that  he  wished  to  unload  ;  that  he  felt  as  if  his  life  was  in  jeopardy. 
«very  moment  and  the  matter  might  probably  terrify  me.  After  he  demanded  my 
pledge,  and  I  promised  never  to  reveal  his  name  in  any  manner  without  his  written 
consent,  he  then  told  me  that  he  knew  the  men  who  attempted  to  steal  the  re- 
mains of  Lincoln,  and  that  they  lived  within  ten  miles  of  where  we  stood ;  that 
one  of  the  gang  made  a  statement  of  the  whole  matter  to  him  before  it  took  place, 
and,  judging  from  the  actions  of  some  of  them,  he  feared  that  they  knew  he  was  in 
possession  of  the  facts,  and  he  felt  that  if  the  proper  officials  could  be  apprised 
through  other  sources  than  himself,  the  arrests  would  lake  the  whole  gang  out  of 
the  country  and  he  would  be  relieved.  I  agreed  with  my  friend  to  communicate 
the  fact  to  Gov.  Beveridge  and  to  Bobert  Lincoln,  and  to  shield  him  from  harm. 
Strange  to  say,  while  we  were  talking  in  the  dark,  one  of  the  gang  appeared  and 
•walked  by.  I  think  this  was  about  10  o'clock  P.  M.,  but  am  not  positive.  I  went 
•direct  from  the  depot  and  found  Mr.  B.  S.  L..  a  government  officer,  and  told  him  I 
knew  who  desecrated  the  tomb  of  Lincoln,  and  that  I  wanted  his  assistance  to  get 
the  news  to  the  proper  officials,  and  that  I  wanted  him  to  go  to  the  Governor  and 
«ee  what  kind  of  a  guarantee  could  be  given  me  that,  under  no  circumstances, 
would  my  name  or  the  name  of  rny  friend,  whom  I  was  bound  to  protect,  for,  judg- 
ing from  the  character  of  the  gang,  they  would  assassinate  any  one  who  would 
divulge  the  plot.  The  government  officer  took  the  3  o'clock  A.  M.  train  for  Spring- 
field, and  one  of  the  gang  went  on  the  same  train,  and  that  day  stood  around  the 
Oovernor's  office,  watching  who  went  in  and  out.  The  Governor  referred  him  to 
Leonard  Swett  and  Robert  Lincoln,  of  Chicago,  whither  Mr.  B.  S.  L.  went  on  the 
next  train,  and  I  gave  him  instructions  that,  were  it  impossible  for  them  legally  to 
protect  our  names,  to  give  them  certain  substantial  evidence,  upon  which  any  or- 
dinary detective  could  work  it  up.  He  returned  without  accomplishing  anything. 
Mr.  B.  S.  L.  and  myself  next  went  to  Springfield,  that  I  might  have  a  personal  in- 
terview with  the  Governor.  When  I  boarded  the  train  at  Mt.  Pulaski,  who  should 
appear  but  the  man  whose  name  had  been  given  me  as  the  leader  in  the  plot.  His 
actions  were  so  suspicious  that  Mr.  B.  S.  L.  suggested  to  me  that  there  was  some- 
thing wrong  and  that  he  believed  him  to  be  one  of  the  gang.  This,  before  I  had 
told  B.  S.  L.  that  the  man's  name  had  been  given  me  as  the  leader.  This  leader, 


ATTEMPT  to   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  23 

"with  whom  I  was  voiy  slightly  acquainted,  had  the  audacity  to  come  and  sit  down 
by  me,  and  asked  all  about  my  business  in  going  to  Springfield,  and  what  B.  S.  L. 
was  going  for,  and  it'  I  was  acquainted  with  the  Governor  and  Chief  of  Police,  etc., 
etc.  After  our  arrival  in  Springfield,  this  leader  was  everywhere  at  our  heels. 
I  became  alarmed  and  refused  to  go  to  the  Governor's  office  with  B.  S.  L.,  but 
arranged  with  him  to  have  an  interview  wi  h  the  Governor  in  the  parlors  of  the 
Leland  Hotel.  When  B.  S.  L.  returned  he  said  the  leader  was  near  the  Gover- 
nor's office  door  all  the  time  he  was  there.  1  had  the  interview  with  the  Governor 
at  the  hotel,  in  presence  of  B.  S.  L.  I  told  the  Governor  that  I  could  put  the ' 
authorities  on  the  track  of  the  would-be  robbers,  provided  our  names  could  be  kept  in 
1  he  back  ground,  as  otherwise  to  remain  at  our  homes  would  be  almost  certain 
death.  The  Governor  could  not  make  any  promises^but  thought  the  friends  in 
Chicago  could  do  something.  After  this  interview,  the  first  person  I  met  on  the 
steps  of  the  hotel  was  this  same  vicious  looking  "leader,"  who  wanted  to  know 
what  B.  S.  L.  was  doing  about  the  Governor's  office,  and  if  I  did  not  come  down  on 
purpose  to  see  the  Govern,!1  myself.  I  evaded  his  questions  but  was  terribly 
wraught  up  with  fear  of  personal  danger,  and  hastened  B.  S.  L.  off  to  Chicago  to 
see  Swett  and  Lincoln  again.  I  wanted  this  gang  out  of  the  country  very  much. 
In  due  time  B.  S.  L.  returned  from  Chicago  without  gaining  much  satisfaction.  The 
time  weighed  heavily  on  my  mind  until  I  saw  in  the  papers  that  Mullins  and 
Hughes  were  arrested  in  Chicago.  Then  I  went  to  see  my  friend  who  had  come 
to  me  to  unburden  his  soul,  and  who  I  then  believed  had  betrayed  me,  and  put  me 
in  the  light  of  a  fool  before  the  Governor  and  Messrs.  Lincoln  &  Swett.  I  went 
to  him  for  an  explanation.  He  could  not  account  for  the  arrest  of  the  Chicago 
thieves.  It  was  utterly  beyond  his  comprehension.  But  he  emphatically 
reiterated  his  previous  statement,  that  they  were  all  true,  and  al  hough  he  could 
not  explain  the  Chicago  arrests,  he  said  he  knew  that  a  plot  did  originate  with  the 
parties  that  he  had  told  me  of,  and  that  all  plans  were  previously  matured  for  that 
night.  He  knew  it  beforehand,  and  looked  for  it  in  the  morning  dispatches.  I 
have  had  several  talks  with  my  friend  on  this  subject  since,  and  he  has  always 
told  me  that  the  plot  did  exist  and  that  he  was  in  no  manner  deceived  or  mistaken. 
But  I  became  incredulous  and  concluded  that  he  must  have  been  the  innocent  vic- 
tim of  some  confidence  game,  and  that  there  was  nothing  in  it.  Slill  I  call  to  mind 
that  subsequent  to  the  Chicago  arrests  a  good  number  of  this  gang  were  arrested, 
convicted  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  at  Joliet  for  counteiiei  ing,  and  I  indistinctly 
recollect  that  they  were  in  some  way  connected  with  the  St.  Louis  thieves  and 
counterfeiters.  I  do  not  now  remember  all  the  details  of  their  movements,  but 
will  give  it  to  the  best  of  my  recollection.  A  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Daniel 
Clark  owned  a  piece  of  land  six  miles  northeast  from  Mt.  Pulaski,  two  miles  west 
of  Chestnut  and  one  mile  west  of  old  Yankee  town,  and  was  near  the  old  Isaac 
De  Haven  grist  mill.  It  was  along  the  bottom  lands  of  Salt  Creek  and  was  fairly 
timbered.  About  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from  the  bridge  to  the  right  as  you 
go  north,  was  a  large  patch  of  paw  paw  bushes,  and  in  that  undergrowth  lay  a  large 
hallow  log.  Within  this  log  was  where  the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln  were  to 
have  been  deposited.  The  wagon  with  the  casket  was  to  have  been  driven  rapidly 
from  Springfield  and  put  in  there  before  day  light.  The  land  was  known  as  Uncle 
Dan  Clark's  pasture.  The  strangest  thing  about  this  is  that  when  a  sufficient 
ransom  should  be  offered  by  the  government,  as  they  supposed  would  be,  one  of 
the  most  respectable  and  honored  citizens  of  Logan  County  was  expected  to  go 


24  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL    THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

gunning  for  squirrels,  and  aecidently  run  across'  the  remains,  get  the  booty  and 
divide  with  the  gang.  His  high  character  was  expected  to  disarm  suspicion.  This 
respected  man  I  had  long  known,  and  up  to  this  time  I  am  not  aware  of  his  name 
having  been  connected  with  anything  disreputable,  but  he  is  badly  connected  by 
marriage. 

As  near  as  I  can  remember,  there  were  six  or  seven  men  and  one  or  two  women. 
connected  with  the  affair,  but  I  would  prefer  not  to  give  any  names  on  paper,  for  it 
would  cause  a  sensation  that  would  surprise  the  citizens  of  Logan  county.  What 
also  gave  color  to  the  statement  of  my  friend  was,  that  shortly  after  the  explosion 
of  the  plot  by  the  more  rapid  movements  of  others,  his  place  of  business  was 
destroyed  by  an  incendiary  fire  supposed  to  have  been  the  work  of  the  gang.  I 
have  no  documentary  proof  or  anything  that  I  would  consent  to  have  published, 
for  it  was  all  second  hand  to  me,  and  I  only  acted  as  any  patriotic  citizen  should 
have  done.  It  not  only  placed  me  in  danger  of  being  foully  dealt  with,  but  I  was 
put  to  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  expense.  When  I  can  learn  the  address  of  my 
friend  I  will  ascertain  his  views  on  the  subject,  and  if  he  will  permit  me  to  give 
you  his  name  and  address,  I  will  communicate  with  you  later. 

Very  respectfully, 

M.  S.  W. 

As  soon  as  I  applied  to  M.  S.  W.,  for  information,  he  took 
measures  to  ascertain  the  address  of  his  friend  who  had  dis- 
covered the  conspiracy  in  Logan  county  to  steal  the  remains 
of  Lincoln,  and  had  communicated  the  facts  to  M.  S.  W.,. 
under  a  solemn  pledge,  which  the  latter  regarded  as  almost 
equal  to  an  oath,  never  to  reveal  his  name  except  with  his 
consent  in  writing,  and  who,  like  himself,  had  left  Illinois.  The 
following  note  does  not  require  explanation: 

WALI/ULA,  Washington  Territory,  Jan.  25,  1887. 
Mr.  J.  C.  Power: 

DEAB  SIR:  —  To-day  I  received  my  friend's  address,  and  will  forward  to-night  all 
your  letters  (that  I  have  received)  to  him,  to  answer  me  at  once  whether  I  can  or 
cannot  have  written  consent  to  forward  you  his  name  and  address.  I  have  advised 
that  he  do  so,  and  I  earnestly  hope  that  he  will.  I  will  write  you  when  I  hear  from 
him.  Very  respectfully, 

M.  S.  W. 

It  is  proper  for  me  to  repeat  that  all  the  initials  I  use  as 
to  names  are  fictitious,  but  the  incidents  are  real,  and  the 
three  men  whom  I  give  as  authority,  B.  S.  L.,  M.  S.  W.,  and 
G.  R.  K.,  are  all  of  the  highest  respectability.  Here  is  another 
letter  : 


,  W.  T.,  Feb.  16,  1887. 
Mr.  J,  C.  Power: 

MY  DEAR  SIR:  —  The  enclosed  letter  will  explain  itself.  G.  K.  K.,  once  a  pros- 
perous merchant  at  C  --  ,  Illinois,  but  more  recently  a  granger  near  G  --  , 
Kansas,  is  the  gentleman  who  gave  me  all  the  information  I  ever  had  concerning 


ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE   BODY   OF   LINCOLN.  25 

the  attempted  robbery  of  the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Please  retain  his- 
letter  as  this  is  the  authority  I  have  for  revealing  his  name.  In  writing  him  please 
state  that  I  have  forwarded  you  his  letter  to  me.  I  believe  now  this  will  put  you 
in  possession  of  every  fact.  It  may  be  unnecessary  for  you  to  write  him  so- 
elaborately  as  you  did  me,  from  the  fact  that  I  forwarded  him  all  your  correspond- 
ence with  me,  and  this  is  his  answer,  received  to-day.  Please  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  the  same. 

Very  respectfully, 

M.  S.  W. 


The  following  is  an  extract   from   a   letter   written  by 
gentleman  who  discovered  the  Logan  county  plot,  or  plots, 
to  steal  Lincoln's  remains.    It  was  written  in  February,  1887: 

G  -  ,  E  -  county,  Kansas. 
M.  S.  W. 

"Oio>  FRIEND.  —  Yours  of  recent  date  received  and  contents  noted.  Would  say 
in  reply  that  all  the  information  I  have  on  the  subject  was  obtained  in  a  legitimate 
way,  and  while  I  would  not  wish  my  name  used  in  the  contemplated  history,  I 
would  not  object  to  telling  what  I  know  of  the  matter  in  a  confidential  way.  *  * 
*  *  You  may  refer  Mr.  Power  to  me  as  one  whom  you  think  able  to  throw  some 
light  on  the  subject." 

G.  E.  K. 

I  next  wrote  direct  to  the  writer  of  the  above,  and  received 
the  following  reply: 

G  -  ,  E  --  county,  Kansas,  Aprils,  1887. 
J.  C.  Power,  Springfitld,  III: 

DEAR  SIR.  —  Yours,  with  reference  to  the  plot  to  steal  the  remains  of  President 
Lincoln,  is  received.  The  information  obtained  by  me  was  from  B  -  S  -  , 
while  under  the  influence  of  intoxicating  liquor.  At  the  time  I  did  not  attach  much 
importance  to  his  statements,  but  thought  it  was  only  the  vaporings  of  a  drunken 
man.  After  the  attempt  was  actually  made,  I,  in  conversation,  told  M.  S.  W.  that 
I  could  find  the  guilty  parties.  He  at  once  put  himself  in  communication  with  the 
authorities,  but  the  arrest  of  the  criminals  followed  so  quickly  after  the  attempt 
that  I  came  to  the  belief  that  B  -  S  -  and  his  gang  had  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose stated,  but  had  been  forestalled  by  the  Chicago  band.  The  plan  as  detailed 
to  me  was,  that  a  party  of  five  or  six  was  to  go  to  Springfield  with  a  strong  spring 
wagon,  just  a  day's  drive  from  our  place,  thirty  miles,  stay  in  the  city  until  after 
dark,  then  drive  to  the  cemetery,  make  an  entrance  into  the  grounds  at  the  nearest 
point  to  the  Monument,  drive  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  it  stands,  leaving  one 
of  their  number  to  watch  the  team.  The  others  would  go  to  the  Monument,  break 
it  open,  get  the  casket  containing  the  body,  carry  it  to  the  wagon  and  drive  away, 
he  saying  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  track  them  very  far  on  the  sandy  roads, 
across  the  Sangamon  river  bottoms,  on  which  the  line  of  flight  was  planned.  He 
further  stated  that  they  would  be  a  long  distance  from  Springfield  before  morning,. 
and  would  have  the  body  deposited  in  a  secure  hiding  place,  where  they  would 
defy  any  one  to  find  it.  There  it  was  to  remain  until  the  reward,  which  they  be- 
lieved would  be  offered,  should  be  large  enough  to  satisfy  the  gang.  Then  it  was  ' 
to  be  discovered  by  a  reputable  farmer,  by  the  name  of  M  -  C  -  ,  who  was  re- 
lated to  B  -  S  -  by  marriage. 
—2 


26  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL    THE   BODY   OF   LINCOLN.- 

The  wagon  proposed  to  be  used  on  the  trip  belonged  to  M C .    He  is  a 

good  man,  respected  by  all  who  know  him  ;  was  a  strong  Lincoln  man ;  served 
three  years  in  the  Thir.y-second  Illinois  Infantry.  I  do  not  think  the  project  was 
ever  mentioned  to  him.  He  would  not  have  consented  to  be  concerned  in  any  such 

undertaking.     I  feel  sure  that  B S did  not  tell  me  where  the  body  was  to 

be  concealed,  but  intimated  that  the  place  was  not  far  away.     I  have  since  found 

the  place,  I  am  confident.    B S lived  about  two  miles  west  of  C ,  and 

three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  old  Yankeetown,  in  a  small  frame  house,  one-quar- 
ter of  a  mile  south  of  the  wagon  road  leading  from  C to  Mt.  Pulaski.  The 

place  of  concealment  was  under  this  house.    B S had  dug  a  pit,  or  cellar, 

three  and  a  half  feet  Avide,  seven  or  eight  feet  long,  and  two  and  a  half  to  three 
feet  deep.  The  pit  was  dug  secretly,  no  one  having  any  knowledge  of  the  time  or 
manner,  nor  noticed  any  fresh  earth  about  the  place.  It  is  thought  that  it  was  dug 
at  night  and  the  earth  taken  and  dropped  into  a  small  s'ream  of  running  water  that 
flowed  hear  the  house.  There  Avas  a  long  door  constructed  in  the  floor  of  the  house 

over  the  pit,  not  having  any  hinges  or  ring  by  \vhich  to  open  it,  and  while  B 

S occupied  the  house,  this  door  was  always  covered  by  a  long  strip  of  carpet, 

the  other  parts  of  the  floor  being  bare.  There  was  no  necessity  for  digging  a  cel- 
lar under  the  house,  as  there  was  a  good  one  outside,  and  there  being  no  con- 
veniences for  opening  and  closing  the  door  showed  that  it  was  not  intended  for  daily 

use.    B S also  told  one  G D ,  who,  I  am  confident,  belonged  to  the 

Logan  county  counterfeiting  gang,  of  the  plot  to  steal  Mr.  Lincoln's  body,  and  he 
•(G D )  told  it  to  W H D ,  a  merchant  of  C ,  who  communi- 
cated the  same  to  Fox  &  House,  hardware  merchants  of  Springfield,  they  agreeing 
to  put  the  proper  ones  on  their  guard.  Now,  as  to  the  dates,  I  am  all  at  sea.  I 
know  it  was  in  the  fall  of  1876,  and  only  a  short  time  before  the  attempt  was  made, 

that  B  -        S and  I  had  the  talk.    I  am  of  the  opinion  that  there  were  two  or 

three  plots  ;  I  think,  three.     The  one  Avith  which  B S was  connected  Avas 

-composed  of  Logan  county  crooks,  some  of  the  men  whose  names  you  sent  me 
being  in  frequent  consultation  with  him,  also  some  Avhose  names  you  do  not  men- 
tion, namely,  G D ,  already  spoken  of,  J H P and  M S , 

cousins  of  B S .     This  is  all  I  remember  now.     If  there  is  anything  further 

you  Avish  to  know,  or  any  questions  you  wish  to  ask  as  to  anything  I  have  written, 
ask,  and  I  will  answer  as  best  I  can.  The  long  time  elapsed  since  the  events  has 
caused  my  memory  to  lose  many  of  the  details,  of  Avhich  I  was  cognizant  at  the 
time.  Thanks  for  the  list  of  names  of  the  counterfeiters.  I  was  acquainted  with 
many  of  them.  Respectfully,  G.  K.  K. 

The  main  point  I  expected  to,  and  have  gained  through 
the  revelations  of  these  three  men,  was  to  satisfy  myself  whether 
the  scheme  or  schemes  they  reveal,  did  or  did  not  originate 
with  the  five  men,  who,  as  a  delegation  from  the  sixteen 
counterfeiters  at  and  around  Lincoln  in  Logan  county,  did  the 
plotting  and  made  the  failure  in  Springfield  in  June,  1876.  The 
names  given  me  in  these  re velations  are  the  same  as  those  belong- 
ing to  that  band,  indicating  that  when  the  five  left  Spring- 
field' they  immediately  commenced  plottings  of  their  own,  but 
were  delayed  by  the  same  causes  that  led  to  defeat  here, — 


ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF   LINCOLN.  27 

lack  of  intelligence  and  too  great  fondness  for  intoxicating 
drinks.  That  is  a  sufficient  reason  why  all  their  schemes 
ended  in  utter  failure. 


DIVISION  THIRD. 


Thieves,   Counterfeiters  and    Counterfeit   Engravers — Operatives  of  the   United 
States  Secret  Service — Chicago — Talents  and  Character  of  Ben.  Boyd. 

In  September,  1874,  a  man  known  to  detectives  and  other 
officers  of  the  law,  as  Jack  Hughes,  of  a  dozen  years'  experi- 
ence in  that  line,  passed  five  counterfeit  bills  of  five  dollars 
each,  government  money,  at  Washington  Heights,  near  Chi- 
cago. In  January,  1875,  the  grand  jury  of  the  United  States 
Court  in  Chicago,  found  an  indictment  against  him  for  the 
offense,  and  for  more  than  a  year  and  a  half,  he  eluded  the 
officers.  Officers  of  the  United  States  Secret  Service  and  com- 
missioned detectives,  often  find  it  necessary  to  use  a  class  of 
men  in  ferreting  out  offenders  against  the  law,  who  have  not 
always  been  straight  themselves.  These  men  are  technically 
called  ropers.  One  of  this  class,  Lewis  C.  Swegles,  on  the 
28th  of  August,  1876,  gave  information  of  the  whereabouts 
of  Hughes  to  P.  D.  Tyrrell,  chief  operative  of  the  United 
States  Secret  Service,  for  the  district  composed  of  the.  States 
of  AVisconsin,  Missouri  and  Illinois,  with  headquarters  at 
Chicago.  Two  days  later,  Tyrrell  arrested  Hughes  in  a  drink- 
ing saloon  called  the  "Hub,"  at  294  Madison  street,  Chicago. 
The  fact  that  Swegles  gave  the  information  *  was  kept  secret. 
By  the  aid  of  friends,  Hughes  deposited  two  thousand  dollars 
in  the  First  National  Bank  at  Chicago,  as  security  for  his 
appearance  for  trial  in  the  following  January,  and  he  was 
released  from  custody,  September  13,  1876. 

Hughes  having  been  arrested  for  passing  counterfeit  money 
and  released  on  bail,  it  became  an  easy  matter  for  Swegles 
to  converse  on  that  subject  with  him,  and  Terrence  Mullen, 
the  keeper  of  the  saloon  \vhere  Hughes  was  arrested.  Swegles, 
hoping  to  learn  something  more  of  their  operations,  in- 


28  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

gratiated  himself  with  them  by  gradually  intimating  that  he 
was  or  had  been  in  some  kind  of  crooked  business  himself, 
such  as  horse  stealing,  and  even  intimated  that  he  had  been 
in  the  penitentiary  of  a  western  State  for  that  crime,  but 
thought  he  would  like  passing  counterfeit  money  better.  In 
something  like  this  way  he  gained  their  confidence  so  thorough- 
ly tha,t  they  openly  revealed  to  him  the  fact  that  they  were 
in  that  business,  but  were  then  preparing  for  something  much 
better,  which  was  to  steal  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln, 
and  secrete  and  hold  them  for  a  great  ransom.  They  then 
proposed  to  let  Swegles  share  in  the  profits,  provided  he- 
would  assist  them. 

Swegles  approached  Tyrrell  again  Oct.  25,  1876,  and  said 
that  there  was  something  brewing  in  which  a  wrong  was  con- 
templated, and  although  it  was  not  a  counterfeiting  opera- 
tion, was  of  National  importance,  and  that  he — Tyrrell — as 
a  government  officer,  ought  to  take  notice  of  it,  and  that  he 
had  been  legally  advised  to  give  him  all  the  facts,  which  he 
then  proceeded  to  do. 

Chief  Operative  Tyrrell  under  the  same  date,  Oct.  25,  1876, 
as  part  of  his  report  for  the  day  to  James  Brooks,  chief  of 
the  whole  United  States  Secret  Service,  at  Washington,  gave 
the  main  points  of  what  he  had  received  from  Swegles.  The 
substance  of  it  was,  that  a  band  of  counterfeiters,  anxious 
for  the  release  of  Ben.  Boyd,  one  of  the  most  expert  counter- 
feit engravers,  who  was  then  serving  a  ten  years'  sentence  in 
the  penitentiary  at  Joliet,  were  preparing  to  remove  the  re- 
mains- of  President  Lincoln  from  the  Monument,  at  Spring- 
field. They  expected,  after  the  remains  were  safely  hid  away,, 
to  give  the  secret  of  their  hiding  place  to  Boyd,  and  let  him 
negotiate  with  the  Governor  of  the  State  for  his  own  release,, 
and  as  much  more  as  he  could  obtain. 

To  show  the  importance  to  shovers  of  counterfeit  money 
that  Ben.  Boyd  should  have  his  liberty,  it  is  neceseary  to 
make  a  statement  of  some  length.  On  the  5th  day  of  Febru- 
ary, 1875,  Elmer  Washburn,  who  was  then  Chief  of  the  United 
States  Secret  Service,  at  Washington,  in  a  communication  to 
P.  D.  Tyrrell,  chief  operative  of  the  district  in  which  Chicago  is 
included,  stated  that  Ben.  Boyd  and  Nelson  Driggs  were  the  most 
expert  and  important  counterfeit  engravers  then  at  liberty  in 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  29 

our  whole  country,  and  that  if  he,  TjTrell,  could  get  them 
"dead  to  rights,"  that  is,  with  evidence  to  convict,  he  would 
break  the  back  bone  of  counterfeiting  in  the  United  States. 
Tyrrell  then  commenced  a  series  of  operations  by  wrhich  he 
traced  them  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Minnesota  and 
Illinois,  calling  to  his  aid  from  time  to  time  such  assistance  as 
he  found  necessary.  He  was  not  long  in  learning  that  Boyd 
was  at  work  at  Fulton,  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  and  Driggs 
was  at  work  in  Centralia,  Marion  county,  in  the  same  State. 
To  arrest  one  would  give  warning  to  the  other,  if  left  un- 
molested. To  make  sure  of  both,  Tyrrell  arranged  with 
Washburn  to  move  on  Driggs,  on  the  same  day  and  hour 
that  he  went  for  Boyd. 

They  were  both  arrested  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of 
Oct.  21,  1875,  and  both  tried  and  sentenced  to  the  peniten- 
tiary. When  Boyd  was  arrested  he  was  in  the  act  of  engrav- 
ing a  plate  for  a  $20.00  bill  on  the  First  National  bank  of 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

In  order  to  give  the  reader  a  proper  understanding  of  the 
desperate  straits  coney  men  were  thrown  into,  by  the  arrest, 
conviction  and  long  sentence  to  imprisonment  of  Boyd,  of 
the  workings  of  counterfeiters  generally,  and  of  the  diaboli- 
cal means  they  were  more  than  willing  to  adopt,  with  the 
hope  of  securing  his  release,  I  here  quote  from  a  lengthy 
article  in  Dye's  Government  Counterfeiter  Detector,  of  April, 
1883,  published  in  Philadelphia,  although  it  involves  some 
little  repetition: 

"Benjamin  Boyd,  alias  B.  "Wilson,  alias  B.  F.  "Wilson,  alias  Charles  Mitchell, 
•was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1834,  where  his  mother  and  sister  resided  in  1875, 
and  were  counted  quite  wealthy.  His  father  was  an  engraver,  and  Ben.  learned 
the  art  at  an  early  age,  serving  one  year  with  an  engraver  named  James  Edward 
Smith  then  and  now  a  citizen  of  good  repute  in  Cincinnati,  also  improving,  as  supposed, 
by  observing  his  parent's  skill,  and  finishing  by  taking  instructions  of  Nat  Kinsey, 
a  cutter  of  superior  ability  in  Cincinnati.  Kinsey  cut  the  fine  one  hundred  dollar 
"greenback"  counterfeit  plate  in  1864,  bills  from  which  for  a  time  defied  detection 
by  the  most  experienced  tellers  and  best  experts.  Kinsey  was  arrested  at  last, 
while  engaged  in  engraving  a  plate  for  printing  counterfeits  of  ten  dollar  bills,  and 
served  a  long  time ;  since  which,  so  far  as  known,  he  has  given  the  public  no 
trouble  While  still  an  apprentice,  and  not  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Ben.  Boyd 
engraved  his  first  counterfeit  plate  on  the  State  Bank  of  Ohio,  in  his  father's  house 
at  Cincinnati,  before  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  *  *  *  *  * 

In  1865,  Ben.  Boyd  was  arrested  with  Pete  McCartney,  at  Mattoon,  Illinois,  and 
both  of  them  committed  to  jail  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  About  the  same  time  Ed. 


30  ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

Pierce  and  Allie  Ackman,  or  Ackerman,  two  of  McCartney's  dealers,  the  woman 
being  his  wife's  sister,  were  arrested  at  the  Everett  House,  (now  Brunswick  Hotel,) 
in  Springfield,  Illinois,  by  Operative  John  Eagan.  In  a  traveling  basket  taken  with 
the  couple,  Operative  Eagan  found  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  of  representative- 
money,  in  fifty  dollar,  twenty  dollar  and  ten  dollar  counterfeits  of  United  States 
Treasury  Notes,  and  five  thousand  dollars  of  representative  money,  counterfeits  of  the 
fractional  currency.  Pierce  was  convicted  and  sent  to  Jefferson  (ville)  penitentiary 
for  fifteen  years,  while  Operative  Eagan  turned  the  woman  over  to  Operative  P.  C.. 
Bradley,  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  Ben.  Boyd  managed  to  release  himself  from  arrest,  and 
finally  secured  the  freedom  of  Allie  Ackman,  or  Ackerman,  by  surrendering  a  plate, 
the  property  of  McCartney,  for  printing  counterfeits  of  the  fifty  dollar  United  States 
Treasury  Notes,  series  of  1863.  Ben.  Boyd  had  for  some  time  been  very  attentive 
to  Miss  Ackman,  or  Ackerman,  and  soon  after  their  release  they  were  married  at 
Marine  City,  St.  Clair  county,  Michigan,  Boyd  being  then  thirty-three  years  of  age, 
Almiranda  Ackman  or  "Ackerman,"  as  the  family  has  been  called,  was  the  daughter 
of  an  accomplished  pair  of  counterfeiters,  and  the  step-daughter  of  John  B.  Trout, 
a  well  known  and  desperate  coney  man,  once  the  terror  of  the  whole  Mississippi 
Valley,  now  in  the  Kentucky  penitentiary,  serving  out  his  second  long  term  of  im- 
prisonment for  counterfeiting.  By  this  marriage,  Boyd  became  the  brother-in-law 
of  Peter  McCartney  Of  Boyd,  McCartney  acquired  additional  skill  in  engraving, 
and  the  two  did  a  heavy  business  in  counterfeit  money,  as  partners.  Boyd  and 
his  wife  resided  at  Decatur,  Illinois,  where  he  was  known  as  Charles  Mitehell;  at 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  passed  as  B.  F.  Wilson,  and  at  Le  Claire,  Iowa,  Clin- 
ton, Illinois,  and  Fulton,  Illinois,  where  Boyd  called  himself  B.  Wilson.  He  finally 
purchased  some  property  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin,  where  he  and  his  wife 
made  their  home,  and  still  retain  possession  of  the  place.  Boyd  has  no  children. 

Boyd  engraved  plates  for  printing  counterfeits  of  the  fifty  dollar  United  States 
Treasury  Notes,  series  of  1863,  for  the  Sleight  and  Frisby,  or  "Frisbie"  gang  of 
counterfeiters,  but  not  having  delivered  them,  they  were  sold  to  Peter  McCartney, 
who,  during  February,  1865,  surrendered  them,  to  effect  the  release  from  custody  of 
E.  B.  Pierce  and  Miss  Almiranda  Ackman  or  "Ackerman,"  the  woman  Boyd  after- 
wards married,  as  has  already  been  related.  In  1866  Boyd  engraved  the  plates  for 
counterfeits  of  the  twenty  dollar  United  States  Treasury  notes,  series  of  1862, 
which  plates  were  owned  jointly  by  Ben.  Boyd,  Peter  McCartney  and  John  B. 
Trout,  and  captured  by  the  Secret  Service  Operatives  during  1866.  In  1869  Boyd 
engraved  plates  for  counterfeits  of  the  United  States  Treasury  Notes,  series  of 
1862,  which  were  worked  jointly  by  Joseph  Kincaid,  alias  Joe  Miller,  James  Bur- 
dell,  alias  Charles  Hanwood,  and  Ben.  Boyd  himself.  These  plates  were  captured  ' 
by  the  Secret  Service  Operatives,  at  Greensburg,  Indiana,  during  February,  1869. 
Boyd  also  engraved  the  celebrated  plates  for  printing  counterfeits  of  the  five  dol- 
lar bills  on  the  "Traders  National  Bank"  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  (one  of  the  finest 
counterfeits  ever  issued,)  afterwards  changed  to  the  "First  National  Bank  of  Can- 
ton, Illinois,"  "First  National  bank  of  Aurora,  Illinois,"  "First  National  Bank  of 
Peru,  Illinois,"  "First  National  Bank  of  Paxton,  Illinois,"  and  two  false  notes,  pur- 
porting to  be  on  "The  First  National  Bank  of  Cecil,  Illinois,"  and  the  "First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Galena,  Illinois,"  there  being  no  such  banks  of  Cecil  or  Galena. 
All  these  plates  were  captured  by  the  Secret  Service  Operatives,  in  the  possession 
of  Nelson  Driggs,  a  partner  of  Boyd,  at  Centralia,  Illinois,  October  21st,  1875. 

In  1859  Boyd  was  arrested  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  being  engaged  at  the  time  in  en- 
graving plates  for  printing  counterfeit  money,  for  Jim  Veasey  and  Charlie  Hatha- 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  31 

way,  who  were  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  although  the  Hathaway  family  lived  at  Fort 
Madison,  Iowa,  Boyd  being  convicted,  was  sentenced  to  two  years  imprisonment, 
in  the  Iowa  penitentiary,  at  Fort  Madison,  of  the  same  State.  After  his  release 
from  the  Iowa  penitentiary,  Boyd  removed  to  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  operated  there 
for  Sleight  and  Frisbie.  He  soon  after  went  to  Decatur,  Illinois,  where  he  had  his 
residence  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1865,  as  noted  in  preceding  paragraphs. 
From  this  time  on,  for  a  number  of  years,  the  place  in  the  criminal  calendar  to 
which  the  deeds  of  Boyd  entitled  him,  remained  vacant ;  he  was  sagacious,  wary 
and  fortunate  in  his  selection  of  partners ;  beside  his  skill  made  him  serviceable  to 
the  entire  fraternity  of  coney  men,  all  of  whom  were  interested  in  his  secluf-ion  and 
safety.  The  counterfeits  from  the  plates  made  by  Boyd  were  in  extensive  circula- 
tion for  years,  the  Illinois  fives  were  especially  current.  It  was  Boyd,  also,  who 
manufactured  the  fifty  cent  Lincoln  vignette  counterfeit  plate,  and  he  is  considered 
the  best  letterer  on  steel  in  the  country  or  the  world.  The  source  of  these  bills 
was  a  subject  of  diligent  inquiry  by  Government  officials,  and  a  kind  of  dissolving 
view  was  obtained  of  the  same,  in  Canada,  St.  Louis,  and  elsewhere,  now  here,  and 
now  there.  After  a  time,  the  talents  and  activity  of  Boyd,  as  well  as  the  ability 
and  wealth  of  his  partners,  became  known  to  the  Treasury  Department  and  the 
Secret  Service  Division  came  to  recognize  the  imperative  necessity  of  breaking  up 
the  combination  of  which  the  skill  of  Ben  Boyd  was  the  heart  and  soul.  On 
October  5th,  1875,  the  work  was  committed,  especially,  to  Operative  Patrick  D. 
Tyrrell  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  who  was  left  very  much  to  his  own  discretion  in  the 
matter,  being  told  by  Elmer  Washburn,  then  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service,  that  his 
succese  would  break  the  backbone  of  counterfeiting  in  the  United  States. 

Thus  directed  and  stimulated,  Tyrrell  began  business  in  a  way  he  considered 
prudent,  and  in  June,  1875,  had  located  the  parties  and  secured  an  interview  with 
Driggs.  The  course  of  events  with  Driggs,  will  appear  in  the  succeeding  sketch 
of  him ;  but  at  present  the  relation  follows  the  fate  of  Ben.  Boyd,  who  was  also 
brought  under  watch  at  the  same  time.  About  the  20th  of  June,  1875,  Ben.  Boyd 
moved  his  wife  and  furniture,  from  his  residence  at  Le  Claire,  Iowa,  to  Fulton,  Illi- 
nois, at  which  last  place,  under  the  name  of  B.  F.  Wilson,  he  rented  a  large  frame 
house  situated  on  Prairie  street.  Soon  after  this  removal  to  Fulton,  it  was  evident 
Boyd  had  commenced  work,  and  arrangements  were  at  once  made  by  Tyrrell  for  a 
conference  with  his  chief.  Accordingly  Elmer  Washburn,  Chief,  and  James  J. 
Brooks,  Assistant  Chief,  with  John  McDonald,  Operative,  all  of  the  Secret  Service 
Division  of  the  United  States  Treasury  Department,  arrived  at  Lyons,  Iowa,  Octo- 
ber 19th,  1875,  when  a  consultation  took  place  between  them  and  Operative  Patrick 
D.  Tyrrell,  who  met  them  there  by  appointment. 

The  plan  developed  was  to  capture  Ben.  Boyd  and  Nelson 
Driggs,  his  partner,  at  the  same  time,  and  in  order  to  give 
Chief  Washburn  time  to  reach  Centralia,  Illinois,  where  Driggs 
and  much  material  was  located,  it  was  decided  to  defer  the 
raid  until  October  21st,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Chief  Washburn  then  started  for  Centralia  to  superintend  active 
operations  there,  leaving  his  reliable  Assistant  Chief,  Brooks, 
(now — 1883 — himself  chief),  and  Operative  McDonald,  at  Ful- 
ton with  Tyrrell,  to  co-operate  in  the  arrest  of  Boyd. 


32  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

"Promptly  at  nine  in  the  morning,  of  the  twenty-first,  the  men  were  on  hand  at 
Fulton,  each  ready  for  the  especial  duty  assigned  by  their  joint  arrangement.  It 
had  been  decided  that  Tyrrell  should  lead  off,  by  entering  the  front  gate  and  going 
round  to  the  back  door.  Brooks  was  to  follow  Tyrrell,  at  a  distance  of  about 
twenty  feet,  while  McDonald  coming  about  one  hundred  feet  in  the  rear,  was  to 
direct  his  course  to  the  front  door.  This  would  bring  each  of  the  men  into  the 
position  required  and  ready  for  action  at  the  same  moment.  All  this  was  carried 
out  with  military  promptness  and  precision,  as  might  be  expected  from  the  char- 
acter of  the  men  engaged.  "When  Tyrrell,  who  knew  the  premises,  was  about  a 
hundred  feet  from  the  front  door,  a  man  drove  up  in  a  carnage  and  in  a  lou<l  tone 
asked  if  B.  F.  Wilson  lived  there.  That  was  imagined  by  Tyrrell  to  be  a  signal, 
in  some  way  contrived  to  alarm  the  inmates  of  the  house  and  likely,  at  least,  to 
arouse  them  to  notice  the  surprise  party  intended  in  their  honor.  Calling  to 
Brooks  to  hurry  up  and  keep  his  distance,  Tyrrell  walked  swiftly  by  the  house  and 
entered 'it  by  the  back  door-.  While  making  his  approach  in  this  manner  to  the 
premises,  Tyrrell  saw  a  man  escape  from  the  house,  who  he  supposed  from  the 
general  appearance  was  Nat  Kinsey,  the  engraver  already  mentioned,  of  whom 
Boyd  acquired  the  better  part  of  his  skill  as  a  cutter.  There  was  nothing  against 
Kinsey  at  the  time,  at  least  nothing  regarding  which  the  Operative  had  instructions, 
so  that  the  fugative  was  allowed  to  pass  unchallenged,  lest  any  delay  on  his  ac- 
count should  defeat  in  some  way  the  grand  object  of  the  expedition. 

"Passing  through  the  kitchen  into  the  dining  room,  the  Operative  met  Mrs.  Boyd, 
who  intercepted  him,  and  although  she  had  never  seen  him,  nor  had  any  reason  to 
suppose  him  a  Government  officer,  or  anything  of  that  kind,  still  she  caught  him 
by  the  collar  of  his  coat  and  undertook  to  detain  him.  Seizing  her  sharply  by  the 
•wrist,  Tyrrell  at  once  freed  himself  and  called  upon  Brooks  to  take  charge  of  the 
woman,  which  the  Assistant  Chief,  then  as  now,  quick  at  the  call  of  duty,  did  with 
the  utmost  promptness.  Tyrrell  being  relieved  of  Mrs.  Boyd,  turned  quickly  to- 
ward the  adjacent  stairs  when  he  discovered  Ben.  Boyd  at  the  top  of  thorn  in  his 
shirt  sleeves  and  just  about  to  step  down.  Boyd  paused  an  instant  as  he  was  con- 
fronted by  Tyrrell,  when  the  Operative  ascended  the  stairs  quickly,  and  at  once  . 
arrested  him.  'Who  are  you?'  said  the  prisoner,  with  considerable  emotion? 
'United  States  Detective  Tyrrell,'  answered  the  Operative.  'I  have  h<*ard  of 
you,  Tyrrell,'  remarked  Boyd,  very  quietly.  Tyrrell  then  put  the  irons  on  the 
prisoner  without  objection  or  opposition,  and  stepping  to  the  front  window  l>  '-ri >i 
rapping  upon  it  as  a  signal  for  McDonald  to  come  round  by  the  rear  and  relieve 
Brooks.  The  signal  being  obeyed,  Brooks  went  up  stairs  and  took  charge  of  Ben. 
Boyd,  while  Tyrrell  commenced  a  thorough  search  of  the  premises,  of  which 
Brooks  and  Boyd  were  witnesses  above  stairs  and  McDonald  and  Mrs.  Boyd  on 
the  first  floor.  In  the  room  up  stairs  from  which  Boyd  doubtless  came,  just  b"foiv 
Tyrell  saw  him,  the  Operative  found  every  evidence  of  the  occupation  of  the  coun- 
terfeiter, and  there,  without  question,  Boyd  was  at  work,  when  the  agents  of  the 
law  invaded  his  habitation.  The  room  contained  a  convenient  work  bench, 
covered  by  a  large  quantity  of  engraver's  tools,  among  which  lay  a  genuine  bill 
upon  the  First  National  bank  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  of  the  denomination  of  twenty  dol- 
lars, and  near  by  a  partly  engraved  plate  for  counterfeits  of  the  same.  In  th<> 
front  room  up  stairs  Tyrrell  found  a  dry  goods  box  of  large  size,  which  he  emptied, 
and  found  nothing  but  a  lot  of  old  clothes  and  rags.  In  tipping  the  box  about, 
however,  one  of  the  boards  of  which  it  was  made  droped  out  and  revealed  a  mor- 
tise in  the  lumber,  from  which  fell  a  plate,  engraved  for  printing  the  centre  back 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  33 

of  counterfeits  of  twenty  dollar  National  Bank  notes,  of  which  the  border  or  rim  to 
match,  was  the  unfinished  plate  on  Boyd's  work  bench. 

"  Leaving  Brooks  in  charge  of  Boyd  up-stairs,  Tyrrell  went  down  and  com- 
menced investigations  on  the  first  floor.  He  asked  Mrs.  Boyd  if  there  was  any 
money  in  the  house.  She  was  unwilling  to  give  information  on  that  point,  but, 
when  pressed,  with  an  intimation  that  it  would  save  trouble  if  she  answered  the 
question,  she  said  she  would  reveal  nothing  without  consultation  with  her  husband. 
The  operative  told  her  he  would  give  her  half  an  hour  to  consider  the  matter,  left 
the  house,  and,  going  to  the  railroad  depot,  telegraphed  in  cipher  to  Chief  Washburn 
what  had  been  accomplished  at  Fulton.  While  Tyrrell  was  on  this  errand,  Mrs.  Boyd 
took  occasion  to  offer  McDonald  a  thousand  dollars,  if  he  would  let  her  take  what 
she  wanted  into  her  possession  and  keep  the  matter  secret.  This  McDonald,  like 
an  honest  man  and  good  officer,  refused.  When  Tyrrell  came  back,  McDonald  told 
of  the  liberal  offer  that  had  been  made  him.  Mrs.  Boyd  wanted  to  go  and  get  the 
money  alone,  or  in  company  with  McDonald,  but  this  Tyrrell  would  not  permit. 
After  a  great  deal  of  hesitation,  she  led  the  way  to  the  bed-room  and  went  to  a  box 
near  the  window.  The  box  was  of  considerable  size  and  had  a  cleat  nailed  across 
the  end  of  it,  contrived  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  handle.  There  was  nothing  about 
the  box,  outside  or  in,  to  indicate  that  it  contained  money,  but  upon  investigation, 
by  breaking  the  box,  the  handle  or  cleat  described  was  discovered  to  be  hollow,  and 
in  the  cavity  of  the  same  was  found  seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents  in  good  money,  made  up  of  three  one  thousand 
dollar  notes^  with  other  small  bills  and  a  few  pieces  of  twenty-five  cent  fractiona 
currency.  In  breaking  the  box,  the  money  came  out. 

"  While  Tyrrell  was  at  work  upon  the  box  which  proved  so  rich  a  treasury,  the 
Operative  shrewdly  noticed  that  Mrs.  Boyd  very  adroitly  endeavored  to  divert  his 
attention  from  a  smaller  box  near  by,  which  she  cunnningly  tried  to  conceal,  Avhen 
she  supposed  he  was  fully  occupied  with  the  larger  one.  Mrs.  Boyd,  as  if  quite  by 
accident,  carelessly  threw  a  piece  of  carpet  over  the  small  box,  as  if  it  were  of  no 
•consequence.  But  the  movement  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  quick-witted 
Tyrrell,  and  after  he  had  secured  the  money  and  counted  the  amount,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  smaller  box,  which  Mrs.  Boyd  seemed  so  anxious  to  conceal.  He 
broke  it  up  into  small  pieces,  and  did  not  expect  from  the  general  appearance  that 
either  the  box  or  its  ruins  contained  anything.  In  this,  however,  he  was  mistaken, 
for,  upon  closer  inspection,  one  of  the  boards  was  found  to  be  mortised,  and  in  the 
cavity  thus  made  were  two  well  executed  plates,  the  front  and  back  of  a  set  for 
printing  counterfeits  of  the  one  hundred  dollar  'greenback'  United  States  Treasury- 
notes.  These  plates  were  stuck  together,  face  to  face,  wjth  putty,  and  covered 
with  some  kind  of  water-proof  composition  to  keep  them  from  rusting.  But  for 
the  acumen  and  thoroughness  or  Operative  Tyrrell,  these  plates  would  haA'e  re- 
mained undiscoved.  Tyrrell  also  found  six  copper  and  four  steel  plates  in  blank, 
of  which  two  were  large  plates  intended  for  counterfeiting  United  States  bonds, 
two  for  duplicate  title  lines,  and  the  rest  counterfeiting  the  '  D6xter  Head'  and 
'  Stanton  Head '  fractional  currency.  The  last  lot  were  discovered  wrapped  up  in 
an  old  linen  summer  coat,  between  the  beds  where  Boyd  :  nd  his  wife  were  in  the 
habit  of  sleeping.  A  number  of  small  blanks  for  engravers'  tools  were  found,  and 
a  small  box  of  such  tools  in  a  finished  condition  fit  for  work.  The  search  was  made 
very  thorough  and  involved  considerable  labor.  As  Brooks  and  McDonald  were 
detained  with  the  prisoners,  Tyrrell  had  to  work  unaided,  and  the  business  gave 
Mm  active  employment  for  about  six  hours. 


34  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

I 

"During  all  this  time  Assistant  Chief  Brooks,  had  been  closeted  above  stairs,  with 
the  man  whose  hand  guided  the  facile  burin  which  had  created  the  works  of  crimi- 
nal art  Tyrrell  had  taken  possession  of.  The  successful  search  for  the  plates  was 
a  task  demanding  no  little  shrewdness  and  patience  ;  but  an  attempt  to  fathom  the 
mind  of  a  criminal  like  Ben.  Boyd,  was,  under  the  circumstances,  an  enterprise  de- 
manding consummate  tact  and  discretion.  These  qualities  were  not  wanting  in  the 
custodian  of  Ben.  Boyd,  and  the  counterfeiter  was  induced  to  be  communicative. 
Boyd  made  certain  clear  and  unequivocal  statements,  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
engraved  the  plates  found,  and  that  at  various  times  he  had  engraved  some  fifteen 
other  plates,  for  other  parties.  He  also  stated  it  took  him  eleven  months  to  engrave 
the  plate  of  the  Traders  Bank  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  admitted,  too,  that  he  had 
engraved  plates  for  printing  counterfeits  of  the  fifty  dollar  United  States  Treasury- 
Note,  Series  of  1863,  from  which  he  printed  and  sold  about  six  thousand  pieces, 
representing  some  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Thus,  what  had  long  been  a 
great  mastery  of  felony,  was  cleared  up,  the  evidence  made  complete  in  the  case  of 
Ben.  Boyd,  and  information  gained  which  became  of  great  use  in  still  other  opera- 
tions against  similar  offenders,  at  other  times  and  elsewhere.  What  Chief  Wash- 
burn  and  his  men  had  been  about,  at  the  other  end  of  the  line,  in  Centralia,  Illinois, 
during  these  hours,  is  stated  in  the  annexed  account  of  Nelson  Driggs. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  go  into  a  detailed  statement  of 
the  capture  of  Driggs,  and  its  effect  on  the  counterfeiting  busi- 
ness, for  it  was  Boyd  that  the  coneymen  hoped  to  release  for 
their  own  advantage  by  stealing  the  body  of  Lincoln.  But 
it  is  proper  to  say  that  Driggs  was  tried,  found  guilty  and 
sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  fifteen  years,  and  a  fine  of 
$5,000,  and  was  sixty-three  years  old.  At  the  same  time  he 
had  |43,000  in  good  money,  and  28,000  acres  of  land  in 
Texas. 

"The  three  officers,  Brooks,  Tyrrell  and  McDonald,  conducted  their  prisoners, 
Ben.  Boyd  and  Almiranda  Boyd,  to  the  Fulton  Railroad  station,  taking  with  them 
the  varied  materials  and  mass  of  evidence  they  had  captured.  They  all  left 
Fulton  on  the  four  o'clock  afternoon  train  for  Chicago,  Illinois.  As  they  were 
seated  in  the  train,  Brooks  and  Tyrrell  being  with  the  prisoners,  Boyd  began  a 
conversation  with  Tyrrell,  by  remarking :  'Tyrrell  you  are  not  long  in  the  Secret 
Service  are  you? '  Tyrrell  replied  :  'No,  not  long ;  why?  Anything  the  matter? ' 
Boyd  assumed  a  very  cunning  style  and  responded:  'Oh!  I  thought  if  you  were 
an  old  member  of  the  Service  you  would  take  the  property  now  in  your  possession 
and  let  me  skip  out  the  back  door.'  'But  that  is  not  my  way  of  doing  business,' 
said  Tyrrell,  whereupon  Boyd  became  reflective,  regarding  the  modern  and  original 
ideas  of  such  men  as  Brooks,  Tyrrell  and  McDonald,  and  his  misfortune  in  being 
compelled  to  keep  honest  company. 

"1-  inding  his  attempts  at  bribery  and  corruption  unavailing,  Boyd  began  negoti- 
ations of  a  different  nature  for  his  own  benefit.  Unaware  of  the  comprehensive 
character  of  the  movement  which  involved  in  the  toils  Nelson  Driggs,  as  well  as 
himself,  he  volunteered  some  statements  in  regard  to  his  relations  with  that 
famous  capitalist  and  manager  among  coney  men,  and  suggested  that  the  testi- 
mony of  a  partner  and  an  engraver  would  be  heavy  against  a  principal  counter- 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  35 

feiter,  should  such  an  one  be  arrested  and  brought  to  trial.  To  all  of  Boyd'stalk  in 
this  direction,  Tyrrell  made  answer  that  he  had  no  power  to  promise  anything,  but  if 
a  prisoner  said  anything  which  might  result  in  the  conviction  of  another  party,  it 
might  have  some  effect  in  favor  of  such  a  witness  with  the  authorities.  Boyd  then 
made  some  further  explanations,  which  were  never  allowed  to  criminate  him;  but 
what  he  subsequently  did,  upon  the  understanding  arrived  at  as  above,  will  ap- 
pear in  a  succeeding  paragraph  of  this  narration,  and  also  in  the  account  of  Nel- 
son Driggs,  to  follow.  "Without  any  other  incident  of  note,  the  party  arrived  in 
Chicago,  and  the  prisoners  were  detained  to  be  examined.  The  good  money 
Tyrrell  captured  was,  at  Boyd's  request,  deposited  in  the  Fidelity  Bank,  and  in 
due  time  turned  over  to  the  charge  of  his  legal  attorney  and  counselor. 

"An  examination  was  held  Oct.  27,  1875,  before  United  States  Commissioner 
Philip  A.  Hoyne,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  Ben.  Boyd  bound  over  in  the  sum  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  to  await  the  action  of  the  Grand  Jury.  Almiranda  Boyd, 
his  wife,  was  bound  over  in  the  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  to  await  the  action 
of  the  Grand  Jury,  also.  In  default  of  bail,  both  defendants  were  committed  to 
the  Cook  county  jail,  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  While  they  were  confined  there,  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  break  jail.  A  counterfeiter  named  Edward  J.  Wright,  alias 
Lee,  alias  Dommitell,  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  was  engaged  in  the  affair,  and  a  pat- 
tern for  some  keys  found  upon  another  prisoner  was  said  to  have  been  made  by 
the  especial  skill  of  Ben.  Boyd. 

"At  the  October,  1875,  term  of  the  United  States  Court,  for  the  Northern  District 
of  Illinois,  held  at  Chicago,  in  that  State,  Ben.  Boyd  was  indicted  for  engraving 
twenty  dollar  plates,  for  counterfeiting  National  Bank  notes;  also  for  engraving 
plates  for  counterfeiting  the  fifty  dollar  United  States  Legal  Tender  notes,  series 
of  1869,  'Henry  Clay  head;'  also  for  engraving  plates  for  counterfeiting  the  five 
dollar  bills  of  the  Traders  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  Illinois;  also  for  engraving 
plates  for  counterfeiting  the  fractional  currency  of  the  United  States,  of  the  de- 
nomination of  fifty  cents,  the  'Stanton  head'  and  'Dexter  head'  series,  and  an  un- 
finished plate  for  counterfeiting  the  hundred  dollar  United  States  Treasuiy  Notes. 
A  true  bill  was  also  found  against  Almiranda  Boyd,  and  the  defendants  were  held 
for  trial. 

"  The  trial  of  Ben.  Boyd  and  Almiranda  Boyd  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois,  held  in  Chicago, 
January  19  and  20,  1876.  The  court-room  presented  an  animated  appearance  when 
it  was  understood  the  case  of  the  distinguished  counterfeiters  was  about  to  be 
called.  The  court  opened  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  After  the  transaction  of 
some  business  of  minor  importance,  the  case  of  Benjamin  Boyd  and  Almiranda 
Boyd  was  called. 

"  Messrs.  Bangs  and  Burke  appeared  to  prosecute,  and  Messrs.  Stiles  and  Tully 
represented  the  defendants.  Considerable  time  was  spent  in  examining  jurors. 
By  a  quarter  past  eleven,  twelve  men,  'sufficiently  good  and  true'  to  pass  upon  the 
merits  of  the  case,  were  obtained,  and  the  prosecution  began  its  attack.  Mr. 
Bangs  addressed  the  jury  for  the  government,  giving,  as  that  which  he  was  pre- 
pared to  prove,  a  candid  and  (careful  general  statement  of  the  facts  compiled  in 
this  account  of  Ben.  Boyd  and  his  doings,  and  claimed  that  Almiranda  Boyd  was 
in  all  that,  an  accomplice,  who  had  not  as  yet  established  her  pretended  character 
as  the  wife  of  the  prisoner. 

General  Stiles  followed  with  a  long  speech  for  the  defense,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  said  they  would  prove  that  Almiranda  Boyd  was  the  prisoner's  wife,  and 


36  ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

could  not  be  punished  for  protecting  her  husband,  and  anything  which  might  go  to 
connect  her  with  her  husband  in  crime,  was  simply  what  any  other  loving  and 
dutiful  wife  would  have  done  under  the  circumstances.  The  possession  of  the 
plates  was  admitted,  but  counsel  would  endeavor  to  show  that  another  counterfeit 
engraver,  named  '  Kinsey,'  had  prevailed  upon  Boyd  to  engrave  the  plates,  with 
the  object  of  giving  them  away  to  the  Government,  as  soon  as  the  work  was  ad- 
vanced enough  to  prove  conclusively  the  intent  to  counterfeit.  In  this  way  Kinsey 
sought  to  obtain  pardon  for  his  own  past  offenses.  There  had  been  thrown  around 
the  prisoner  a  net  work  of  circumstances  which  seemed  strong  against  him,  but 
which  would,  when  unveiled,  place  his  client  in  a  different  light.  It  would  be  im- 
possible to  prove  that  the  prisoner  engraved  the  plates  in  his  possession  ;  the  furthest 
the  prosecution  could  go,  was  to  prove  possession.  It  was  not  charged  that  the  one 
hundred  dollar  plates  had  been  used,  and  the  fact  was,  they  never  had  been  used, 
unless  after  the  government  obtained  possession  thereof.  [Laughter] . 

The  defendants  attracted  much  notice  throughout  the  proceedings  from  a  large 
crowd  of  spectators,  and  during  the  eloquent  referenc3  of  General  Stiles  to  her 
case,  Mrs.  Boyd  became  much  affected  and  shed  tears  freely,  often  quietly  hiding 
her  face  in  her  handkerchief. 

The  first  witness  examined  was  Patrick  D.  Tyrrell,  for  the  Government,  who 
gave  the  Court  in  the  most  clear  and  straightforward  manner,  a  succinct  narrative 
of  all  the  particulars  of  his  operations  as  an  agent  of  the  Treasury  Department,  in 
the  detection  and  arrest  of  Ben.  Boyd  and  his  wife,  substantially  as  given  in  the 
preceding  pages.  Witness  undertook  to  state  what  Boyd  said  to  him,  but  it  was 
ruled  inadmissible. 

The  second  witness  was  Mr.  G.  J.  Verreck,  bank  note  engraver,  who  passed  upon 
the  plates  found  in  the  prisoners'  possession.  His  evidence  was  purely  technical. 

The  third  witness  was  James  J.  Brooks,  Assistant  Chief  of  Secret  Service.  His 
•evidence  was  mainly  corroborative  of  that  of  the  first  witness.  Mr.  Brooks  was 
not  allowed  to  state  admissions  made  by  Boyd. 

The  fourth  witness  was  Operative  John  K.  McDonald,  of  the  Secret  Service,  and 
the  only  new  point  brought  out  by  him,  was  the  offer  of  Mrs.  Boyd  to  give  him  a 
thousand  dollars,  as  has  been  related. 

This  mass  of  testimony  made  the  case  strong  for  the  Government,  and  pending 
further  proceedings,  the  court  adjourned  to  ten  A.  M.,  the  next  morning. 

"At  a  succeeding  session  of  the  Court,  the  evidence  being  closed  and  all  argu- 
ments heard,  his  honor,  the  judge,  directed  the  jury  to  find  Almiranda  Boyd  not 
guiltv;  she  being  the  wife  of  Ben.  Boyd,  it  was  her  duty  to  obey  her  husband  and 
protect  him.  Boyd  was  found  guilty,  and  remanded  for  sentence  to  Cook  county 
jail,  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  the  place  of  confinement  from  which  he  had  been  brought 
into  court.  Prisoner's  counsel  gave  due  notice  of  a  motion  for  a  new  trial. 

"On  February  7th,  1875,  Operative  Patrick  D.  Tyrrell  conducted  Ben.  Boyd  from 
the  Cook  county  jail  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  and  his  wife  were  both  used 
as  witnesses  for  the  Government  in  a  very  important  case,  the  particulars  of  which 
are  part  of  the  history  of  Nelson  Driggs.  Tyrrell  returned  Boyd  to  the  place 
from  which  he  had  taken  him  for  the  above  named  occasion,  and  on  February  16th, 
1875,  General  Stiles  argued  a  motion  for  a  new  trial,  which  the  court,  upon  consid- 
eration denied;  but  taking  note  of  the  fact  that  Boyd  had  become  a  witness  for 
the  Government,  as  already  stated,  his  honor,  the  judge,  was  pleased  to  mitigate 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE   BODY   OF  LINCOLN.  37 

the  sentence.  Boyd  was  then  condemned  to  serve  a  term  of  ten  years  imprison' 
ment  in  the  Joliet  (Illinois)  penitentiary,  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars 
and  costs  of  court. 

"The  conviction  and  imprisonment  of  Ben.  Boyd,  and  the  breaking  up  of  his 
business  with  Nelson  Driggs,  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  trade  of  a  host  of  coney 
men  in  the  West  and  South.  They  could,  of  course,  get  the  'queer,'  but  they  were 
no  longer  'next  the  plate,'  so,  having  to  buy  of  middlemen,  the  profits  were  small, 
the  'stuff'  mostly  poor,  and  the  risk  very  great.  Every  means  was  used  to  pre- 
vent the  conviction  of  Boyd,  and  when  he  was  at  last  imprisoned  for  ten  years,  all 
sorts  of  devices  were  employed  to  effect  his  release  or  secure  for  him  a  pardon, 
the  most  despicable  of  which  was  the  effort  to  accomplish  it  by  capturing  the  dead 
body  of  President  Lincoln. 

To  produce  a  single  plate  for  printing  a  bill,  representing 
five,  ten,  twenty,  fifty  or  a  hundred  dollars  of  our  Govern- 
ment money,  requires  the  use  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth 
of  the  most  complicated  machinery,  rooms  well  lighted, 
warmed  and  ventilated,  with  all  the  surroundings  for  comfort 
and  ease,  with  pay  sufficient  to  remove  all  anxiety  about 
reasonable  provision  for  self  and  family,  and  to  enable  the 
operative  to  take  sufficient  open  air  recreation  to  keep  the 
mental  and  physical  organs  in  perfect  health. 

But  here  we  find  a  man,  Benjamin  F.  Bo3rd,  with  God  given 
talents,  and  skill  which  can  only  be  acquired  by  years  of 
practice  and  the  most  diligent  industry,  who  could  and  did, 
without  elaborate  machinery,  and  with  the  simplest  tools,  in 
secreted  rooms,  often  without  proper  ventilation,  making 
every  movement  by  stealth,  like  a  hunted  beast  of  prey,  re- 
producing these  plates  so  perfect  as  to  defy  detection  by  any 
but  the  most  expert.  Such  talents  and  skill,  honestly  and 
industriously  directed,  would  have  placed  him  at  the  head  of 
all  those  employed  by  the  Government,  Avould  have  secured 
for  himself  honor,  wealth  and  fame,  and  the  society  of  the 
good,  the  wise  and  the  great.  He  voluntarily  chose  to  put 
the  talents  so  bountifully  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  Diety, 
and  the  skill  acquired  by  years  of  toil,  on  the  side  of  fraud, 
and  by  so  doing  place  himself  outside  the  protection  of  law, 
under  the  delusive  hope  of  gaining  sudden  wealth.  This,  too, 
when  he  knew  that  if  he  succeeded,  his  wealth  must  come 
through  the  hands  of  the  most  vile  and  depraved  of  his  race, 
not  one  of  whom  he  could  trust  for  a  moment  with  his  ill 
gotten  wealth. 

We  find,  however,  that  there  is  a  lower  depth  to  which 
beings  in  the  form  of  men  can  sink.  Those  who  had  been 


38  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE  BODY   OP  LINCOLN. 

putting  counterfeit  money  in  'circulation  until  they  came  to 
depend  upon  it  as  a  legitimate  business.  When  they  found 
their  supply  cut  off  by  the  imprisonment  for  a  term  of  years 
of  the  man  who  furnished  that  supply,  were  willing  to  com- 
mit the  hitherto  unheard  of  crime  of  robbing  the  tomb  of 
Ihe  greatest  benefactor  of  his  race,  and  making  merchandise 
of  his  dead  body,  that  they  might  restore  to  liberty  the  man 
who  could  restore  to  them  their  lost  source  of  gaining  a  dis- 
honorable livelihood. 


DIVISION   FOURTH. 


Plot  in  Chicago— P.  D.  Tyrrell.  Operative  of  the  U.  S.  Secret  Service— The  United 
States  Secret  Service  in  general — Custodian  informed  that  the  Thieves  would 
"Visit  the  Monument— Their  Visit — The  Attempt  is  made  to  Steal  the  Body — 
The  Result — Remarkable  Coincidence  in  Connection  with  the  Assassination  of 
Lovejoy — Important  Letter  from  Hon.  Leonard  Swett — Capture  of  the  Thieves. 


In  the  absence  of  Tyrrell  from  Chicago,  Swegles,  after  ob- 
taining the  information  related  in  the  preceding  pages  about 
the  conspiracy,  consulted  an  attorney,  C.  W.  Dean,  without 
giving  the  names  of  the  conspirators,  and  was  advised  by 
Dean  to  lay  all  the  facts  before  Tyrrell  on  his  arrival.  In  the 
meantime  Dean  informed  Hon.  Leonard  Swett  and  Robert  T. 
Lincoln  of  what  was  being  done.  On  the  arrival  of  Tyrrell, 
Swegles  unfolded  to  him  the  scheme,  as  far  as  it  had  come  to 
his  knowledge.  He  said  that  a  party  or  parties  from  St. 
Louis  had  been  in  consultation  at  a  drinking  saloon  called 
the  "Hub,"  at  294  West  Madison  street,  with  Terrence  Mul- 
len, the  proprietor,  one  Jack  Hughes,  alias  Shepherd,  and  a 
well  known  contractor  of  Chicago.  They  were  all  to  meet  at 
Springfield  early  some  evening,  steal  the  body,  place  it  in  a 
light,  strong  spring  wagon,  prepared  by  the  contractor,  who 
\vas  to  drive  with  all  possible  speed,  by  the  aid  of  relays  of 
horses  previously  arranged,  to  the  sand  hills  in  the  northern 
part  of  Indiana,  and  bury  it  where  the  moving  sand,  caused 
by  the  winds,  would  soon  obliterate  all  evidences  of  their 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN.  39 

<rime,  and  by  measurements  to  some  natural  landmarks,  such 
ns  trees  or  rocks,  make  it  possible  to  find  it  themselves. 

Upon  receiving  this  revelation  from  Swegles,  Tyrrell  directed 
him  to  return  to  the  conspirators,  accede  to  their  proposi- 
tion that  he  should  become  one  of  them,  learn  all  he  could 
of  their  plans,  and  report  to  him  daily,  or  otherwise,  accord- 
ing to  circumstances.  In  reply  to  some  disparaging  remarks 
about  employing  men  in  the  detective  work,  who  were  not 
always  true  and  honest,  in  fact,  who  were  thieves  such  as 
Swegles  was  known  or  afterwards  proved  to  be,  the  writer 
once  heard  Tyrrell  say,  in  substance,  that,  "when  men  go  fish- 
ing, the  most  important  thing  is  to  learn  what  kind  of  bait 
the  fish  they  wish  to  catch  will  swallow;  that  if  an  officer 
wishing  to  catch  a  thief  or  murderer,  should  bait  his  hook 
with  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  good  standing,  all  men  could 
see  that  the  officer  was  a  fool,  because  thieves  and  preachers 
do  not  naturally  seek  each  others  society." 

Friday,  Oct.  26,  1876,  Tyrrell  had  a  consultation  at  the 
law  office  of  C.  W.  Dean,  in  company  with  Lewis  C.  Swegles. 
Upon  inquiry  being  made,  Swegles  was  unable  to  give  the 
names  of  the  parties  in  St.  Louis,  as  he  had  not  then  learned 
them.  He  said  that  one  of  the  Chicago  parties  had  been  to 
St..  Louis  to  perfect  arrangements,  and  another  had  been  to 
Springfield  to  examine  the  location  and  position  of  the  re- 
mains in  the  Monument.  The  same  day  Tyrrell  had  a  con- 
sultation with  Hon.  Leonard  Swett,  a  life  long  legal,  personal 
and  political  friend  of  President  Lincoln,  also  with  Robert  T. 
Lincoln,  son  of  the  late  President.  Either  Swett  or  Lincoln 
sent  a  telegram  to  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  at  Springfield,  chair- 
man of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument  Association.  Mr.  Swett  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Stuart,  giving  particulars,  and  suggesting  that  the  Monu- 
ment be  guarded.  In  consequence  of  this  information,  the 
writer,  as  Custodian  of  the  Monument,  was  directed  by  Major 
Stuart  to  put  one  or  more  watchmen  on  the  Monument 
grounds,  and  keep  them  there  at  night  until  the  attempt  was 
made  or  the  danger  averted.  The  orders  were  executed,  and 
after  that  two  men,  armed  each  with  a  revolver,  were  kept  there 
every  night.  I  was  there  at  nearly  all  times  of  night  myself, 
to  see  that  the  watchmen  were  on  duty,  and  had  to  be  very 
careful  about  signals  to  avoid  being  shot  on  mv  own  orders. 


40  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE   BODY   OF   LINCOLN. 

Some  days  were  spent  by  the  parties  in  Chicago  trying  to 
change  the  bail  of  Jack  Hughes,  in  order  to  obtain  the  two 
thousand  dollars  in  bank  to  aid  them  in  their  satanic  scheme. 
They  also  tried  very  hard  to  induce  the  wife  of  Ben.  Boyd  to 
furnish  money  for  the  same  purpose,  in  both  of  which  they 
failed.  Meanwhile  Tyrrell  reported  daily  to  Chief  Brooks.  In 
reply  to  his  report  of  November  1st,  he  was  directed  by  Chief 
Brooks  to  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  matter. 

A  brief  account  at  this  point,  of  the  United  States  Secret 
Service,  will  no  doubt  be  as  interesting  to  the  reader  as  the 
study  of  the  subject  has  been  to  the  writer.  It  was  entirely 
an  outgrowth  of  the  war  to  suppress  the  great  slaveholders 
rebellion.  The  securities  of  the  government  were  increased  in 
such  a  multiplicity  of  ways,  and  in  such  vast  amounts,  that 
it  became  the  most  inviting  field  for  counterfeiting  and  other 
schemes  of  fraud  ever  opened  to  dishonest  men.  The  talents 
and  industry  displayed  in  defrauding  and  attempts  to  defraud 
the  government,  would  have  brought  wealth  to  their  pos- 
sessors in  almost  any  other  calling.  Were  it  not  for  some 
such  system  as  the  United  States  Secret  Service,  for  the  de- 
tection and  punishment  of  crime,  none  of  the  securities  of  the 
United  States  would  now  be  secure. 

The  statements  I  shall  make,  are  drawn  principally  from  a 
report,  under  date  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  Sept.  17,  1877,  by 
James  J.  Brooks,  Chief  of  the  United  States  Secret  S3rvice,  to 
Hons.  R.  C.  McCormick,  Kenneth  Raynor  and  Green  B.  Raum, 
a  committee  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to 
.investigate  and  report  on  the  workings  of  the  Secret  Service 
Division. 

In  1881,  the  sum  of  $10,000  was  appropriated  for  the  detection  and  bringing  to- 
trial,  counterfeiters  of  United  States  Treasury  notes,  etc.  The  work  of  that  kind 
suddenly  assumed  immense  proportions,  and, 

In  1862,  the  sum  of  $300,000  was  appropriated,  and, 

In  1863,  the  sum  of  $600,000  was  appropriated,  all  for  the  same  purpose. 

A  system  of  rewards  was  instituted,  and  with  these  large  amounts  to  draw  upon, 
jobs  were  set  up,  criminals  detected,  the  money  squandered  and  the  criminals  set 
at  liberty  under  pretense  of  using  them  for  the  detection  of  others,  and  with  it  all 
counterfeiting  increased.  The  funds  were  disbursed  through  various  channels, 
generally  through  the  solicitor  of  the  Treasury,  and  for  years  reports  were  made  to 
that  officer. 

In  1864,  the  sum  appropriated  by  Congress  for  the  purpose  of  detecting  frauds 
on  the  Treasury  was  reduced  to  $100,000. 

July  6,  1865,  Solicitor  Jordan  appointed  Mr.  William  P.  Wood,  Chief  of  the  Secret 
Service,  being  the  first  time  any  officer  was  designated  by  that  title.  The  follow- 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  41 

ing  are  the  sums  appropriated  by  Congress  for  the  United  States  Secret  Service 
for  the  years  named  : 

In  18Gf. '  $50,000 

In  1866 150,000 

In  1868 150,000 

In  1868 .' 25,000 

In  1869 100,000 

In  1870 125,000 

In  1871 125,000 

In  1872 125,000 

In  1873 125,000 

In  1874 125,000 

In  1875 125,000 

In  1876 100,000 

In  1877 100,000 

I  have  not  the  information  to  follow  this  further,  nor  is  it  necessary  to  my  pur- 
pose. 

The  Chiefs  of  the  Secret  Service  Bureau  have  been : 

William  P.  Wood,  appointed  in  1865. 

H.  C.  Whiting,  appointed  in  1869. 

S.  B.  Benson,  Assistant,  and  acting  Chief,  appointed  Sept.  10,  1874. 

Elmer  E.  Washburn,  appointed  Oct.  2,  1874. 

James  J.  Brooks,  appointed  Oct.  27,  1876. 

The  commission  of  Mr.  Brooks  reads ; 

TREASURY  DEPARTMENT,  Oct.  27, 1876. 
James  J.  Brooks,  fsq.- 

SIR  : — Under  the  provision  of  the  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1875,  you 
are  hereby  appointed  Chief  of  the  Secret  Sen-ice  Division  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment, at  a  compensation  of  four  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  to  take  effect  from 
this  date. 

I  am,  very  respectfully, 

LOT  M.  MoKRiMj, 

Secretary. 

Chief  Brooks  was  allowed  an  Assistant  Chief,  four  head  clerks  for  as  many 
branches  of  the  work,  a  custodian  and  a  messenger,  all  in  the  office  at  headquarters 
in  Washington.  For  outside  work  he  then  had  thirteen  chief  operatives,  each  in 
charge  of  a  clearly  defined  district,  the  thirteen  districts  covering  the  whole  of  the 
United  States  and  Territories.  He  also  had  five  special  operatives  and  sixteen 
assistant  operatives. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Secret  Service,  apportunities  presented  themselvesr 
under  the  veil  of  secrecy,  for  squandering  large  sums  of  money,  without  placing 
the  responsibility  clearly  upon  any  officer.  But  all  has  since  been  changed.  With 
the  accumulation  of  knowledge  by  experience,  the  work  has  been  reduced  to  such 
a  perfect  system  that  it  is  as  easy  to  detect  and  expose  wrong  doing  in  this,  as  in  the- 
postoffice  department,  or  any  other  division  of  the  Government.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  name  in  detail  all  the  thirteen  districts  and  the  work  then  being  done  in  them, 
•whether  by  a  chief  only  or  by  assistant  operative. 

In  speaking  of  the  district  including  Illinios,  Chief  Brooks 

uses  stronger  language  of  commendation  concerning  the  work 

of  the  district  Chief  -  Operative,  than  in  any  other  case,   by 

saying,  that  "One  Chief  Operative,  keeps  his  district  clean  by 

—3 


42  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

hunting  for  criminals."  In  the  language  quoted  above  he  of 
course  alludes  to  P.  D.  Tyrrell,  who  less  than  a  year  before 
had  charge  of  the  Lincoln  Tomb  robbing  case.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  my  purpose  for  me  to  follow  the  reports  of  Chief 
Brooks  any  further  in  detail,  except  to  give  results  for  the 
last  fiscal  year  previous  to  his  report.  The  following  table 
shows  the  amount  and  character  of  counterfeit  and  stolen 
money;  also  stolen  and  altered  United  States  bonds  (reg- 
istered) captured  and  secured  by  and  through  the  operatives : 

Amounts. 

United  States  Treasury  notes $22,994  00 

National  bank  notes 15,470  00 

Currency 11,574  00 

Genuine  money  stolen  from  the  cash  room  of  the  United  States  Treas- 
ury       11,471  50 

By  F.  S.  Winslow,  stolen $11,990  00 

By  F.  S.  "Winslow,  recovered:  11,471  50 

Net  loss 518  50 

Altered  and  registered  United  States  bonds 65,050  00 

€oin 8,181  70 

Nickels 280  50 

Speil  marke 1,105  00 

Flash  notes 100  00 

Genuine  raised  notes 100  00 

State  bank  notes  . .  4,839  00 


$14U65  70 

The  following  shows  the  number  and  character  of  the  coun- 
terfeit plates  captured  and  secured  by  and  through  the  opera- 
tives : 

PLATES  FOR  TREASURY  NOTES. 

•$5  00  copper  obverse 1 

5  00  copper  reverse 1 

5  00  copper  tint 1 

5  00  copper  seal 1 


Total  plates 4 

PLATES  FOR  NATIONAL  B\NK  NOTES. 

$2  00  copper,  electrotype ] 

2  00  copper,  border  of  back,  electrotype 1 

2  00  copper,  centre  of  back,  electrotype 1 

10  00  German  silver,  obverse 1 

10  00  German  silver,  border  of  back ] 

10  00  German  silver,  centre  of  back 1 

10  00  German  silver,  seal 1 

10  00  copper,  obverse,  electrotype 20 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  43 

10  00  copper,  border  of  back,  electrotype 19 

10  00  copper,  centre  of  back,  electrotype 10 

10  00  brass  title  plate 2 


Total  plates 58 


PLATES  FOR  FRACTIONAL  CURRENCY. 

50  cent,  brass,  Dexter  head,  obverse 2 

50  cent,  brass,  Dexter  head,  reverse 2 

50  cent,  brass,  Dexter  head,  seal 1 

50  cent,  brass,  Dexter  head,  obverse,  electrotype 35 

50  cent,  brass,  Dexter  head,  reverse 16 

50  cent,  brass,  Dexter  head,  seal 1 

50  cent,  steel,  Stanton  head,  obverse 1 

50  cent,  steel,  Stanton  head,  reverse 1 

50  cent,  steel,  Stanton  head,  seal 1 

50  cent,  steel,  Spinner  head,  reverse 2 

50  cent,  steel,  Dexter  head,  obverse  (lithographic  stone) 2 

50  cent,  steel,  Dexter  head,  reverse  (lithographic  stone) 2 

-50  cent,  steel,  Dexter  head,  seal  (lithographic  stone) 2 

Total  plates 68 


STEEL  DIES  FOR  COIN. 

Sets. 

10  cent  silver  coin % 1 

50  cent  silver  coin 3 

25  cent  gold  coin 1 

50  cent  gold  coin 1 

•$1  00  gold  coin 3 

5  00  gold  coin 1 

1  00  Mexican  silver  coin 1 

Total  sets  of  dies. . ,  11 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

Presses  for  coin ." 1 

Presses  for  bills 2 

Fur  caps,  6;  pair  of  gloves,  7  (stolen) 13 


There  were  241  arrests  made  during  that  fiscal  year,  ending  June  30,  1877,  and 
-of  those  convicted  the  sentences  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  fourteen  years. 

Every  chief  of  the  Secret  Service  up  to  and  including  Elmer 
Washburn,  did  more  or  less  operative  work.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  while  Washburn  was  Chief  of  the  Secret  Ser- 
vice, two  of  the  most  important  arrests,  in  the  dangerous 
•character  of  the  men  arrested,  the  amount  of  good  and 


44  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE   BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 

bad  money  secured,  and  the  implements  for  and  its  effect 
on  counterfeiting,  ever  planned  before  or  since,  by  one  mem- 
ber of  the  Service.  The  result  was  the  capture  of  Benjamin 
F.  Boyd  and  Nelson  Driggs.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
case  was  given  by  Chief  AVashburn  to  Capt.  P.  D.  Tyrrell,  at 
the  Palmer  House,  in  Chicago,  Feb.  5,  1875,  for  him  to  work 
up  in  his  own  way.  When  Washburn  gave  the  case  to  Tyr- 
rell, he  remarked  that  if  he  could  capture  those  men,  with 
facts  and  evidence  to  send  them  to  the  penitentiary  for  a^ 
.long  term,  it  would  break  the  back  bone  of  counterfeiting  in 
the  United  States.  Tyrrell  gave  almost  his  entire  time  to  the- 
case  for  more  than  eight  months,  when  he  located  both  the 
men,  and  satisfied  himself  that  they  were  each  hard  at  work. 
He  then  wrote  to  Chief  Washburn,  who  met  him  in  Chicago, 
where  two  parties  of  officers  were  organized,  one  to  be  led  by 
Tyrrell  for  the  capture  of  Boyd  at  Fulton,  and  the  other  by 
Washburn  for  the  capture  of  Driggs  at  Centralia,  both  in 
the  State  of  Illinois.  Both  parties  moved  at  the  same  hour,, 
nine  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  October  21,  1875,  and  each 
captured  his  man. 

While  this  work  was  going  through  the  press  in  January, 
1889,  I  wrote  to  Tyrrell,  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  to  ascertain 
what  effect  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  Boyd  and  Driggs  had 
on  the  spinal  column  of  counterfeiting.  He  replied  that  it 
would  be  egotistical  for  him  to  say,  but  referred  me  to  the 
Ridgely  National  Bank,  in  Springfield.  Mr.  William  Ridgely 
said  that  the  amount  of  counterfeit  money  gradually  de- 
creased from  the  time  Boyd  and  Driggs  were  captured,  'and 
long  since  ceased  to  be  presented,  and  now  there  is  less  coun- 
terfeit money  in  circulation  than  at  any  time  within  his  re- 
collection. He  referred  me  to  the  teller,  Mr.  E.  W.  Payne, 
who  said  that  at  the  time  of  the  arrest,  counterfeit  bills 
were  presented  at  the  bank  every  hour  of  the  day,  but  now 
he  does  not  see  one  in  a  month.  Hje  said  the  younger  men 
in  the  bank  complained  that  there  was  not  enough  coun- 
terfeit money  in  circulation  for  them  to  learn  how  to 
detect  it.  Other  bankers  talked  the  same  way.  James  J. 
Brooks,  appointed  Oct.  27,  1876,  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service 
Division  of  the  Treasury  Department,  never  travels,  or  does 
any  operative  work  outside  his  office  in  the  city  of  Washing- 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF   LINCOLN.  45 

ton.  He  finds  that  by  requiring  daily  reports  from  each  and 
every  operative,  he  can  conduct  the  business  better  than  if 
he  went  into  the  field  himself.  I  find  so  much  of  interest  in 
his  reports  that  it  is  difficult  to  stop.  But  I  have  given 
enough  to  make  the  reader  wonder  what  would  become  of 
our  circulating  medium  for  the  transaction  of  business,  with- 
out the  United  States  Secret  Service. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  reports  of  Tyrrell  to  Chief  Brooks, 
at  Washington.  In  his  report  for  Nov.  2,  1876,  Tyrrell  says: 
"Louis  C..Swegles  informs  me  this  day,  that  last  night  the 
gang  met  at  his  room.  While  speaking  of  the  probable 
amount  to  be  realized  from  President  Lincoln's  remains,  Ter- 
rence  Mullins  said,  'they  could  obtain  from  the  government 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  besides  the  liberation  of  Ben. 
Boyd  from  Joliet  penitentiary,  and  the  respect  of  the  Ameri- 
can people  into  the  bargain,' "  which  shows  that  he  had  very 
queer  ideas  about  wrhat  the  people  would  think  of  their  vil- 
lainous performance. 

Nov.  4,  1876,  Tyrrell  reports  that  there  is  no  doubt  about 
the  parties  being  in  earnest,  and  that  they  seem  to  be  proud 
of  the  prospective  reputation  they  will  gain  by  it,  still  be- 
lieving they  will  be  able  to  obtain  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  the  release  of  Ben.  Boyd  for  future  use  in  coun- 
terfeiting. Hughes  and  his  friends  tried  hard  to  put  in  some 
other  securities  for  his  appearance  at  court,  and  to  draw  the 
two  thousand  dollars  out  of  the  bank,  to  enable  them  to 
work  their  plot  with  greater  prospects  of  success.  Tyrrell, 
knowing  the  importance  of  the  money  to  them,  and  that  he 
•could  thwart  them  much  easier  without  money,  exercised  the 
greatest  energy  and  shrewdness  to  prevent  their  obtaining  it, 
and  succeeded. 

Nov.  5th,  being  Sunday,  Tyrrell  did  not  make  any  report, 
but  learned  that  the  gang  met  and  decided  upon  Tuesday 
night,  Nov.  7th,  as  the  time  to  rob  the  tomb  of  Lincoln. 

Nov.  6th,  Monday,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Swegles 
reported  to  Tyrrell  that  the  gang  were  going  to  Springfield 
that  night,  in  order  to  be  ready.  They  selected  the  night  of 
Nov.  7th,  because  that  was  the  day  for  holding  the  election 
for  President  and  Vice  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
'they  shrewdly  judged  that  the  excitement  attending  the  elec- 


46  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 

tion  would  draw  away  any  attention  that  might  otherwise* 
be  given  to  them,  and  in  the  event  of  their  coming  in  con- 
tact with  other  parties  at  an  unusually  late  hour  of  the 
night,  there  was  a  chance  that  each  party  would  think  the 
other  was  out  in  search  of  election  news.  Upon  learning  that 
the  time  was  agreed  upon,  Tyrrell  arranged  for  a  meeting  at 
the  office  of  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  at  three  o'clock  that  after- 
noon, when  Lincoln,  and  Isham  his  partner,  ex-Chief  U.  S. 
Secrect  Service  Washburn,  and  C.  W.  Dean,  an  attorney  at 
law,  whom  Swegles  consulted  in  all  the  earlier  stages  of  his 
discoveries  of  the  plot.  The  object  of  the  consultation  was 
to  arrange  for  assistance.  Before  night  they  secured  the  ser- 
vices '  of  John  McDonald,  a  detective  in  the  employ  of  the 
Illinois  Humane  Society,  and  John  McGinn  and  George  Hay, 
of  the  Pinkerton  detective  force.  Robert  T.  Lincoln  sent  a 
telegram  to  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  at  Springfield,  to  call  early 
next  morning  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel  and  inquire  for  C.  A. 
Demorest,  the  name  Tyrrell  assumed  for  the  occasion,  in 
order  to  evade  any  suspicion  that  might  be  raised  by  any 
of  the  conspirators  seeing  his  name  on  the  hotel  register. 

At  nine  o'clock  that  evening.  Mullins,  Hughes,  Swegles  and 
another  man  boarded  the  front  platform  of  the  front  pas- 
senger car.  Tyrrell,  McGinn  and  Hay  boarded  the  last  sleep- 
ing car  of  the  same  train  as  it  moved  out  of  the  depot  of 
the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad.  It  was  understood  with 
Tyrrell,  that  ex-Chief  Washburn  and  John  McDonald  were  to 
follow  on  the  next  train  leaving  Chicago  at  nine  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  Nov.  7th,  and  would  reach  Springfield,  185 
miles  south,  at  four  o'clock  that  afternoon.  As  the  train 
moved  out  on  the  evening  of  the  sixth,  Tyrrell  moralizing  on 
the  situation,  fully  realized  that  the  mission  was  a  perilous 
one  and  might  end  in  death  to  one  or  more  of  both  parties. 
The  train  arrived  at  Springfield  at  six  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th,  nearly  two  hours  behind  time,  Tyrrell,  McGinn 
and  Hay,  stopping  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel. 

At  half  past  eight,  Swegles,  who  had  kept  with  Mullins  and 
Hughes,  informed  Tyrrell  that  they  had  registered  at  the  St. 
Charles,  a  small  hotel  only  a  square  and  a  half  west  of  the 
St.  Nicholas.  Mullins  registered  as  T.  Durnan  and  Hughes  as 
James  Smith,  both  of  Chicago.  They  were  then  both  asleep, 


ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  47 

with  orders  at  the  office  to  be  called  at  ten  o'clock.  About 
nine  o'clock,  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart  called  at  the  St.  Nicholas, 
and  asked  for  C.  A.  Demorest,  which  was  responded  to  by 
Tyrrell.  Mr.  Stuart  accompanied  Tyrrell  to  the  Monument 
and  introduced  him  to  J.  C.  Power,  the  Custodian,  with  in- 
structions to  the  Custodian  to  co-operate  with  Tyrrell  by 
giving  all  the  information  and  assistance  possible.  Tyrrell 
and  Power  then  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  grounds 
and  of  the  interior  of  the  Monument,  and  settled  upon  the 
proper  point  to  place  a  man  inside  to  hear  any  work  that 
might  be  done  on  the  sarcophagus.  That  point  is  marked  by  a 
star  in  the  ground  plan.  Tyrrell  informed  the  Custodian  that 
during  the  afternoon  two  of  the  conspirators  would  visit  the 
Monument.  He  gave  a  description  of  them  and  instructed  the 
Custodian  to  show  them  everything  usually  shown  to  visitors, 
and  to  answer  truthfully  all  questions.  Near  three  o'clock 
two  men  appeared  answering  the  description  given  by  Tyrrell. 
They  paid  the  usual  fee  and  registered,  the  one  I  afterwards 
found  to  be  Swegles,  as  Henry  S.  Lewis,  of  Kenosha,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  the  other  Hughes,  as  James  Smith,  Racine,  Wiscon- 
sin. Mullins  did  not  come  to  the  Monument  at  that  time, 
and  it  is  not  known  that  he  was  ever  there  until  he  came 
that  night  expecting  to  accompany  the  remains  of  the  Presi- 
dent to  a  safe  hiding  place.  The  Custodian  answered  all  their 
questions  truly  and  without  hesitation,  thinking  that  they 
were  the  real  conspirators,  but  on  learning  who  Swegles  was, 
found  that  he  understood  the  instructions  given  by  Tyrrell 
to  the  Custodian,  and  was  watching  closely  to  see  how  the 
questions  were  answered,  but  failed  to  see  any  evidence  of 
doubt  or  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  Custodian. 

While  Hughes  and  Swegles  were  at  the  Monument,  Mullins 
secured  an  old  axe  at  a  German  drinking  saloon,  for  use  in 
breaking  open  the  sarcophagus.  At  five  o'clock  that  after- 
noon Elmer  Washburn,  John  McDonald  and  John  English 
arrived.  Tyrrell  collected  all  immeciately  in  his  room  at  the 
St.  Nicholas  Hotel.  There  were  present,  Tyrrell,  Washburn, 
McGinn,  Hay,  McDonald,  Swegles  and  English.  The  latter 
had  been  the  private  secretary  of  Washburn  while  he  was 
Chief  of  the  U.  S.  Signal  Service,  and  was  there  by  invitation 
of  his  former  chief  officer.  While  they  were  all  together, 


48 


ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 


NATIONAULlNCOLN 
9      (u  *  GROUNDS 


Map  of  Monument  Grounds— Six  Acres. 

"Washburn  catechised  Swegles  very  closely  and  sharply,  in 
order  to  satisfy  himself  and  all  engaged  of  Swegles'  honesty 
and  sincerity  in  the  matter.  Tyrrell  then  detailed  all  his 
plans  to  Washburn  in  presence  of  the  men,  that  each  and  all 
might  fully  understand  what  they  were  expected  to  do,  and 
all  received  the  entire  approval  of  Washburn.  When  the  time 
approached  for  action,  Tyrrell  sent  George  Hay  to  the  Monu- 
ment, with  a  note  to  the  Custodian  that  he  might  know  they 
were  coming.  When  Hay  arrived  a  little  after  five  o'clock 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE   BODY   OF  LINCOLN.  49 

there  was  barely  sufficient  light  to  enable  the  Custodian  to 
read  the  note. 

The  sun  had  not  been  visible  during  the  whole  of  that  day, 
and  thick  clouds  hung  like  a  pall  over  the  earth,  making  it 
so  dark  as  early  as  six  o'clock  that  a  man  could  scarcely 
have  seen  his  hand  before  him  outside,  but  inside  Memorial 
Hall  the  darkness  could  almost  be  felt.  The  Hall  was  warmed 
with  steam,  and  a  supply  of  lamps  and  matches  were  ready. 
When  Hay  arrived,  the  Custodian  took  him  inside  the  Hall, 
closed  the  doors,  and  they  remained  quietly  without  lights, 
until  about  forty  minutes  past  six  o'clock,  when  Tyrrell, 
Washburn,  McDonald,  McGinn  and  English  appeared  at  the 
door,  and  were  quickly  admitted  by  the  Custodian,  Hay 
standing  by  to  identify  each  one.  When  they  were  all  safely 
inside,  the  Custodian  fastened  the  doors,  took  a  lamp  and 
some  matches  in  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  took  the  hand 
of  Tyrrell,  and  he  one  of  his  men,  until  all  joined  hands.  The 
Custodian  then  led  the  way  through  the  back  door  of  Me- 
morial Hall,  as  seen  in  the  Ground  Plan,  turned  to  the  left, 
winding  among  the  labyrinth  of  walls  until  a  point  was  reached 
where  lights  could  not  be  seen  from  the  outside,  when  a  light 
wras  struck  and  all  given  up  to  Tyrrell,  who  continued  along 
the  line  marked  "Lamps,"  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the 
wray  the  arrows  run,  until  he  reached  the  spot  marked  with 
£,  star.  There  John  English  was  stationed,  that  he  might 
hear  and  convey  the  information  back  to  Memorial  Hall, 
when  the  miscreants  began  to  work  on  the  marble  sarcopha- 
gus. Although  there  was  a  solid  wall  of  .brick  and  stone 
more  than  two  feet  thick,  and  without  any  opening,  between 
English  and  the  sarcophagus,  it  had  been  tested  by  the  Cus- 
todian and  Tyrrell,  on  the  first  visit  of  the  latter,  the  pre- 
vious morning,  when  it  was  found  that  light  blows  on  the 
sarcophagus  could  be  distinctly  heard  where  English  stood. 
After  examining  the  whole  interior,  lamps  were  placed  along 
the  line  indicated  by  the  arrows  and  the  word  "lamps,"  in 
order  that  English  might  find  his  wray  out.  The  five  officers 
and  the  Custodian  returning  to  Memorial  Hall,  wrere  assigned 
positions,  and  all  ordered  to  draw  their  boots  and  remain 
perfectly  quiet. 

Memorial  Hall  has  but  one  outer  door,  and  this  has  two 
shutters,  one  of  iron  rods  and  the  other  of  wood  and  glass. 


50 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 


Ground  Plan,  Lincoln  Monument. 

These  were  both,  closed  and  locked,  and  a  white  cloth  screen 
placed  near  the  door  inside,  so  that  it  would  not  be  possible 
to  distinguish  any  object  in  there,  by  looking  from  the  out- 
side. Tyrrell  took  a  position  inside  where  he  was  shielded 
from  view  by  the  screen,  and  yet  near  enough  to  the  door  to 
see  every  movement  on  the  outside.  Each  and  all  remained 
in  the  positions  assigned  them,  from  about  seven  until  about 
nine  o'clock.  I  say  about,  because  it  was  not  possible  for  u& 
to  consult  our  watches  without  danger  of  revealing  our  pres- 
ence to  the  thieves. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  51 

About  six  o'clock,  and  just  before  starting  to  the  Monu- 
ment, Tyrrell  sent  Svvegles  to  meet  Mullens  and  Hughes. 
How  Swegles  managed  to  keep  up  the  delusion  to  them  that 
he  had  a  wagon  and  team,  and  yet  arrive  at  the  Monument 
with  them,  or  near  the  same  time  they  did,  I  do  not  know, 
but  the  first  intimation  we  inside  had  of  the  presence  of  the 
conspirators,  was  a  very  brilliant  light  from  a  bull's  eye  or 
dark  lantern,  being  thrust  in  between  the  rods  of  the  outer 
door  to  Memorial  Hall.  It  almost  touched  the  glass  of  the 
inner  door,  and  was  turned  about  quickly,  as  though  finding 
all  locked,  satisfied  the  parties  with  the  lantern  that  the  Hall 
was  unoccupied.  The  light  soon  disappeared,  and  footsteps 
as  of  more  than  one  person  were  heard  retreating  towards 
the  catacomb  at  the  north  end  of  the  Monument.  It  was 
Swegles  and  Hughes.  Tyrrell  then  directed  the  Custodian  to 
unlock  the  doors,  but  leave  them  closed,  which  he  did,  and 
had  barely  time  to  resume  his  position  when  the  lantern  ap- 
peared again,  this  time  carried  by  Swegles  alone,  who  gave 
Tyrrell  the  password  adopted  for  that  night,  "Wash,"  and 
informed  Tyrrell  that  Hughes  and  Mullens  had  commenced 
sawing  the  lock  at  the  rod  door  of  the  catacomb.  Next, 
Hughes  passed  around  alone  without  the  light.  About  this 
time  English,  who  had  remained  at  the  point  marked  by  the 
star  in  the  Ground  Plan,  came  by  the  course  of  the  arrows 
and  lamps  into  Memorial  Hall,  and  reported  that  the  con- 
spirators were  hard  at  work  on  the  sarcophagus. 

For  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  after  that  not  a  man  moved 
out  of  the  Hall,  and  yet  there  were  hurried  movements  and 
whisperings  going  on  inside.  The  Custodian  had  never  seen 
a  single  one  of  those  men  until  within  a  few  hours  of  that 
time.  Thoughts  ran  thick  and  fast  through  his  mind,  and 
he  soliloquized:  "What  if  they  are  playing  a  farce,  or  some 
desperate  game?"  Here  they  are  ostensibly  to  capture  a  lot 
of  miscreants  bent  on  committing  a  most  infamous  crime. 
They  know  that  the  conspirators  are  at  work,  and  so  far  as 
I  can  understand,  not  a  man  moves  hand  or  foot  to  arrest 
their  progress.  Can  I  accomplish  anything?  The  answer 
came  quickly.  No,  there  is  nothing  you  can  do,  for  you  do 
not  know  how  to  make  a  single  move,  therefore  you  must 
keep  quiet  and  await  developments.  All  this  and  much  more 
passed  through  his  mind  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write 


52 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 


National  Lincoln  Monument— South  View. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  'THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  5e? 

it.  Then  came  a  slight  movement  at  the  door.  More  whisper- 
ings were  heard  and  a  hurried  exit,  followed  by  a  few  moments 
of  deathlike  stillness,  and  he  began  to  realize  that  he  was 
alone  in  the  blackness  of  darkness.  A  man  soon  entered  and 
called  his  name.  It  was  the  voice  of  Tyrrell.  He  directed  the 
Custodian  to  bring  the  lamps  from  the  interior  of  the  Monu- 
ment which  was  quickly  done.  Tyrrell  had  gone  out  without 
his  boots  that  his  footsteps  might  not  be  heard.  He  put 
them  on  hurriedly  and  departed  again.  He  had  been  out  but 
a  few  moments,  when — 

Hark !  What  is  that  ?  Crack !  crack ! !  crack ! ! !  A  succes- 
sion of  pistol  shots  rang  out  on  the  night  air.  As  the  men 
filed  in  to  the  light,  hurried  words  were  spoken.  "The  vil- 
lians  are  gone."  "Oh,  Lord!  What  a  narrow  escape,"  one 
exclaimed.  All  were  pale  and  quivering  with  emotion.  With 
the  lights  we  proceeded  to  the  Catacomb,  and  the  sights  we 
beheld  are  faithfully  illustrated  in  the  cut  of  the  interior. 

In  order  to  understand  it  clearly,  let  the  reader  first  turn  to 
the  Ground  Plan.  The  form  of  the  Catacomb  is  the  exact  half 
of  a  circle  twenty-four  feet  in  diameter,  as  will  be  seen  by 
reference  to  the  cut.  Imagine  yourself  standing  in  the  door 
of  the  Catacomb,  and  you  see  a  true  representation  of  the 
interior  as  it  appeared  when  the  ghouls  made  their  exit. 

The  marble  walls  and  tessellated  marble  floor,  with  the 
position  of  the  cedar  coffin,  and  each  piece  of  the  marble  sar- 
cophagus is  well  defined.  By  reference  to  the  numbers  and 
letters  it  will  be  easily  understood. 

No.  1,  is  the  extreme  back  part  of  an  open  crypt,  eight  feet 
deep,  designed  as  a  receptacle  for  the  body  of  President  Lin- 
coln, in  which  it  rested  from  September,  1871,  until  October, 
1874,  when  it  was  taken  from  the  iron  coffin,  placed  in  one 
of  lead,  and  that  in  one  of  red  cedar,  and  all  put  in  the 
marble  sarcophagus. 

No.  2,  is  a  marble  panel,  back  of  which  there  is  a  crypt, 
containing  the  bodies  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  tAvo  sons,  William  and 
Edward , 

No.  8,  is  a  panel,  back  of  which  there  is  a  crypt  containing, 
the  body  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  son  Thomas,  whom  he  called  Tad. 

No.  4,  was  then  unoccupied,  but  the  body  of  Mrs.  Lincoln 
was  placed  in  it  July  19,  1882.  Two  days  later,  at  the  re- 
quest of  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  through  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 


54 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE   BODY  OF   LINCOLN. 


National  Lincoln  Monument— North  View. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  55 

•chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Monument  Asso- 
ciation, The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  in  the  night 
'time  and  moved  her  remains  to  the  interior  of  the  Monument 
and  buried  them  by  the  side  of  her  husband.  That  was  done 
July  21,  1882,  the  second  night  after  her  body  had  been  de- 
posited there. 

No.  5.  In  arranging  the  cripts  for  the  family,  this  one  was 
set  apart  for  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  but  without  consulting  him. 
Now  that  he  has  a  wife  and  children,  and  is  making  his  own. 
history,  it  is  riot  known  what  disposition  he  will  make  of  it. 
No.  4,  being  unoccupied,  it  is  probable  that  both  will  be  held 
subject  to  any  directions  that  may  be  given  by  him  or  his 
family.  It  is  not  expected  that  No.  1  will  ever  be  used  for 
sepulture.  The  empty  sarcophagus  may  be  put  in  there,  or  a 
bust  of  the  martyred  President  may  be  made  to  fill  the  niche. 

A,  is  the  top  or  false  lid  of  the  marble  sarcophagus. 

B,  is  the  main  lid  of  the  marble  sarcophagus,  a  sufficient 
distance  from  the  wall  to  admit  of   a  man   passing  between 
the  two. 

C,  is  one  of  the  wooden  temporary  trestles  supporting  the 
sarcophagus. 

D,  is  the  top  of  the  red  cedar  coffin. 

E,  is  the  end  of  the   cedar   coffin,    drawn  about  eighteen 
inches  out  of  the  sarcophagus,  ready  to  be  carried  away. 

F  F,  are  the  marble  sides  of  the  sarcophagus. 

H  H  H  H,  are  copper  dowels  in  the  marble  sides  of  the 
sarcophagus,  for  holding  the  main  lid  in  position. 

G.,  is  the  marble  end  piece  of  the  sarcophagus,  bearing  the 
inscription  LINCOLN,  surrounded  with  an  oaken  wreath  in 
marble.  It  is  proper  to  state  that  this  piece  did  not  occupy 
the  place  it  does  in  the  picture,  but  was  left  by  the  vandals 
where  it  could  not  be  seen  from  the  door. 

Each  and  every  piece  remained  as  the  miscreants  left  them, 
until  the  afternoon  of  November  9th,  the  second  day  after 
their  visit,  when  all  were  replaced  and  cemented  as  though 
nothing  had  been  done. 

The  red  cedar  coffin  is  put  together  with  brass  screws  from 
the  outside.  Every  screw  was  examined  before  it  was  put 
back  in  the  sarcophagus,  and  the  creases  in  them  were  found, 
one  and  all,  to  be  filled  with  rust  or  verdigris,  proving  be- 
yond a  doubt  that  neither  the  wood  nor  lead  coffin  had  been 


56 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 


o 


opened,  so  that  the  remains  up  to  that  time  were  absolutely 
safe.  The  broken  lock,  pincers,  chisel  and  axe  were  left  pro- 
miscuously about  the  door,  but  do  not  appear  in  the  picture. 
By  way  of  explaining  the  apparent  tardy  action  of  those- 
in  Memorial  Hall,  it  may  be  said  that  the  placing  of  English 
inside  to  listen,  was  merely  an  extra  precaution,  in  order  that 
the  first  movement  to  break  open  the  sarcophagus  might  be- 
known  beyond  a  doubt,  but  was  not  the  intention  to  move 
out  on  information  thus  obtained.  It  was  previously  arranged 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL   THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  57 

between  chief  operative  Tyrrell  and  Swcgles,  that  the  latter, 
on  his  arrival  with  Hughes  and  Mullins,  and  while  they  were 
busy  opening  the  sarcophagus,  was  t.o  go  around  outside,  and 
if  anything  prevented  their  getting  sufficiently  near  each 
other  to  exchange  pass  words,  Swegles  was  to  stand  in  front 
of  Memorial  Hall,  strike  a  match  and  light  a  cigar,  which 
was  to  be  the  signal  that  the  way  was  clear  for  the  entire 
force  to  close  in  upon  the  conspirators.  Swegles  walked 
around  once  and  gave  to  Tyrrell  the  pass  word,  for  that 
night,  "Wash,"  as  previously  stated,  and  informed  him  that 
Hughes  and  Mullins  were  sawing  and  filing  at  the  padlock  to 
the  catacomb.  I  merely  digress  to  say  that  Mullins  broke  a 
very  fine  steel  saw,  and  was  under  the  necessity  of  finishing 
with  a  hand  saw  file,  which  caused  them  to  be  much  longer 
effecting  an  entrance  than  they  would  otherwise  have  been. 

(Note — The  lock  thus  broken  is  still  preserved  in  the  Memorial 
Hall,  but  the  key  belonging  to  it  was  carried  by  the  Custo- 
dian until  February  12,  1887,  when  he  presented  it  to  his 
friend,  Gen.  Edwin  A.  Sherman,  of  Oakland,  California.) 

On  entering  the  catacomb,  an  incident  entirely  unlocked 
for,  occurred.  When  the  door  was  forced,  the  dark  lantern 
was  placed  in  Swegles'  hands,  and  he  was  pushed  in  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  catacomb,  marked  with  a  cross, 
and  instructed  to  stand  there  and  hold  the  light.  Mullins 
proceeded  to  open  the  sarcophagus,  and  Hughes  to  patrol 
outside,  keeping  close  watch  about  the  door.  Swegles  saw 
at  a  glance  that  if  he  undertook  to  dispose  of  the  lantern  and 
pass  out  of  the  door,  one  or  the  other  of  them  would  prob- 
ably shoot  him  dead.  There  seemed  to  be  nothing  left  for  him 
to  do  but  stand  where  he  was  and  hold  the  light,  studying 
meanwhile  how  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  It  may  be  inferred 
that  Mullins  and  Hughes  suspected  Swegles'  fidelity,  but  I 
think  that  move  simply  meant  that  they  did  not  know  him  as 
well  as  they  knew  each  other,  and  they  were  determined  to- 
have  him  in  as  close  quarters  as  they  were  themselves.  When 
the  sarcophagus  was  taken  to  pieces  and  the  wrooden  coffin 
drawn  partly  out,  ready  to  drive  away,  as  shown  in  the  broken 
sarcophagus,  Hughes  and  Mullins  stepped  outside  with  Swegles 
and  told  him  to  bring  up  the  team,  and  they  would  wait  for 
him  at  the  door.  He  had  no  team,  nor  never  intended  to 
have,  but  had  agreed  to  do  so,  and  made  them  believe  he- 
— 4 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE   BODY   OF   LINCOLN. 


liad  one  at  the  east  gate,  in  a  north  east  direction.  "When 
he  was  told  to  bring  it  up,  he  ran  about  half  way  down  the 
.steep  bluff,  until  he  knew  they  could  not  see  him  in  conse- 
quence of  the  thick  darkness.  He  then  turned  abrupty  to 
the  right,  ran  south  on  the  sward  until  he  came  opposite  the 
entrance  to  Memorial  Hall,  and  again  turned  squarely  to  the 
right,  crossed  the  drive  around  the  monument,  and  approach- 
ing the  door,  gave  the  password  to  Tyrrell  and  explained  to 
him  the  situation,  that  he  was  supposed  to  be  bringing  up 
the  wagon  and  a  teamster,  and  that  Hughes  and  Mullins 
were  waiting  his  return  at  the  door  of  the  catacomb.  Tyrrell 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL    THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  59 

then  told  Swegies  to  remain  in  the  back  ground.  Hinted  the 
situation  to  Washburn,  and  summoning  Hay,  McGinn  and 
McDonald,  started  for  the  catacomb,  as  indicated  by  the 
arrows  on  the  outside  of'  the  ground  plan.  Tyrrell  entered 
the  catacomb  first,  with  revolver  in  hand,  cocked  and  ready 
for  quick  work,  called  upon  whoever  was  inside  to  surrender. 
Not  receiving  any  answer,  he  called  the  second  time,  and  still 
no  answer,  he  struck  a  match,  when  the  scene,  of  the  broken 
sarcophagus  was  revealed  to  him,  and  in  his  own  language 
he  was  surprised  that  "no  fiend  was  there." 

Tyrrell  immediately  gave  orders  for  McGinn  and  Hay  to 
examine  the  grounds  on  the  slope  of  the  bluff  north,  and  re- 
turned to  Memorial  Hall,  for  his  boots,  as  previously  stated. 
He  held  a  short  consultation  with  Washburn,  then  went  out- 
ride, and  ascending  a  flight  of  steps,  he  walked  out  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  Terrace,  thinking  the  ghouls  may 
have  gone  up  there,  by  one  of  the  four  flights  of  steps,  to 
wait  for  the  team.  It  was  now  approaching  the  time  for  the 
moon  to  rise, — which  it  did  that  night  at  ten  o'clock  and 
twenty-four  minutes, — and  being  elevated  sixteen  feet  above 
the  surrounding  level  of  the  ground,  he  was  enabled  to  see 
the  outlines  of  two  men  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Ter- 
race, about  seventy  feet  north  of  where  he  stood.  He  drew 
up  his  revolver  and  fired  at  them.  They  returned  the  fire 
and  then  ran  to  the  northeast  corner.  Tyrrell  moved  as 
quickly  to  the  southeast  corner  where  they  exchanged  two 
shots  each,  and  both  parties  ran  back  and  assumed  the  posi- 
tions occupied  by  each  when  the  first  shots  were  fired.  The 
two  men  were  maneuvering  to  keep  under  cover  of  the  granite 
pedestals  and  get  another  shot  at  Tyrrell.  He  went  to  the 
head  of  the  stairway  where  he  had  ascended,  called  down  to 
Washburn,  addressing  him  as  he  had  done  while  at  work 
under  him  in  the  U.  S.  Secret  Service,  said:  "Chief  we  have 
the  de'ils  up  here."  Then  calling  to  his  men  to  come  up, 
which  wras  responded  to  by  McDonald  only,  Tyrrell  supposing 
that  his  whole  force  was  supporting  him,  gave  orders  to  sur- 
round the  obelisk  and  capture  them .  A  voice  then  came  from 
behind  one  of  the  four  pedestals  adjoining  the  obelisk,  "Tyrrell 
is  that  you."  Tyrrell  made  no  reply  for  the  reason  that  one 
of  the  miscreants,  Hughes,  knew  his  voice,  and  he  declined  to 
exchange  words  with  him,  and  again  called  for  his  men  to 


60  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

come  up.  The  same  voice  once  more  came  from  behind  the 
pedestal,  "Tyrrell,  for  God's  sake,  answer,  is  that  you  shoot- 
ing us.?"  It  wa,s  then  found  that  while  Tyrrell  was  putting 
on  his  boots  and  ascending  at  the  south  end,  McGinn  and 
Hay  had  hastily  examined  the  grounds  as  well  as  they  could 
in  the  intense  darkness,  and  ascended  to  the  terrace  at  the 
north  end,  and  it  was  McGinn's  voice  that  revealed  the  mis- 
take. They  all  then  came  down  into  Memorial  Hall,  uttering 
the  exclamations  previously  recorded.  It.  was  afterwards 
learned  that  when  Mullins  and  Hughes  started  Swegles  off 
for  his  mythical  team,  agreeing  to  remain  at  the  door  of 
the  catacomb  until  his  return,  they,  too  shrewrd  to  remain  at 
the  door,  lest  some  other  parties  might  be  looking  for  them, 
quietly  withdrew  about  110  feet  northwest  down  the  bluff  ta 
a  small  oak  tree.  [See  map,  at  the  point  marked  "Location 
of  Thieves."]  They  were  watching  the  door,  of  the  catacomb 
at  the  north  front,  when  the  officers  came  around  the  east 
sideof  the  monument  from  Mem oraial  Hall.  [Set*  ground  plan.] 
The  thieves  started  to  meet  the  officers,  thinking  it  was 
Swegles  and  his  teamster,  coming  for  the  body,  and  were  in  the 
act  of  going  to  meet  them  quickly,  when  within  twrenty  or 
thirty  feet  of  the  door,  they  discovered  that  instead  of  two, 
the  dim  outlines  of  four  or  five  men  were  seen  filing  into  the- 
catacomb.  That  w as  entirely  too  many.  The  thieves  halted, 
and  assuming  a  listening  attitude,  soon  learned  that  it  was 
a  party  of  officers  hunting  for  them.  In  speaking  to  Swegles 
about  it  before  they  were  captured,  and  consequently  previous 
to  their  learning  that  he  had  "given  them  awray,"  they  said 
that  they  thought  it  would  be  decidedly  "more  healthy  for 
them  to  go  the  other  way."  Swegles  had  some  marvelous 
hairbreadth  escapes  to  relate  to  them  in  order  to  retain  their 
confidence,  until  he  could  decoy  them  into  the  hands  of  the 
officers.  The  robbers  had  time  to  get  out  of  the  grounds  of 
Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  by  way  of  the  east  gate,  and  were  near 
the  foot  of  the  bluff,  close  to  the  northern  terminus  of  Fifth 
Street  Railway,  when  the  firing  took  place  on  the  monument. 
One  of  the  conductors  on  the  Fifth  Street  Railroad  having 
just  reached  the  end  of  the  track  with  his  car,  in  time  to 
hear  the  firing,  also  heard  a  voice  coming  up  from  the  dark- 
ness below,  saying:  "D n  you,  you  cannot  shoot  us,  you 

are  not  smart  enough  for  that."    At  the  same  time  the  con- 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE   BODY  OF1  LINCOLN.  Gl 

ductor  distinctly  heard  the  strong  voice  of  Tyrrell,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away,  ordering  his  men  to  surround  the  obelisk  and 
capture  what  he  supposed  were  the  thieves,  but  soon  after 
found  them  to  be  his  own'  men. 

When  the  officers  had  just  emerged  from  Memorial  Hall  on 
the  way  to  the  catacomb,  one  of  them,  in  cocking  his  revol- 
ver, accidentally  let  the  hammer  slip  and  explode  the  cap. 
Putting  that  with  the  failure  to  capture  the  robbers,  the  in- 
cident was  readily  caught  up  and  turned  into  a  charge  that 
there  was  a  traitor  among  the  officers,  who  gave  that  as  a 
signal  to  the  thieves  of  approaching  danger.  Tyrrell  and 
those  with  him  were  exceedingly  mortified  at  the  termination 
of  the  affair,  and  at  the  time  I  shared  the  same  feeling  with 
them,  although  I  was  in  no  way  responsible  for  the  failure, 
and  would  not  in  any  sense  have  been  entitled  to  credit,  if  it 
had  been  a  success.  But  I  am  now  satisfied  that  it  could  not 
possibly  have  terminated  as  well  in  any  other  way.  If  Tyrrell 
had  found  them  in  the  catacomb,  entering  the  door  as  he 
did,  they  could  and  would  have  seen  and  shot  him  before  he 
could  have  learned  which  one  of  the  dark  corners  they  were 
in.  The  escape  of  all  parties  on  the  terrace,  after  leaving  the 
catacomb,  was  most  providential.  Each  party  came  so  near 
being  shot,  as  to  feel  the  wind  from  the  balls  fired  by  the 
other  side  as  they  whistled  by  their  faces.  The  report  at  the 
time  that  the  firing  took  place  among  the  trees  was  a  mis- 
take. It  was  all  done  on  the  terrace,  sixteen  feet  from  the 
ground. 

In  his  report  of  the  affair  to  Chief  Brooks,  of  the  United 
States  Secret  service,  Tyrrell  speaks  of  it  as  "One  of  the  most 
unfortunate  nights  I  have  ever  experienced,  yet  God  protected 
us  in  doing  right."  Further  on  he  says:  "The  encounter  on 
the  Lincoln  Monument  will  ever  be  remembered  by  me  as  an 
escape  from  death  most  miraculous,  and  I  thank  God  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart." 

With  all  this  there  are  men  who  affect  to  believe  that  the 
whole  affair  was  a  sham  and  a  pretense.  It  appears  so  much 
smarter,  and  is  so  much  easier  to  look  wise  and  say  it  was  a 
"put  up  job,"  than  it  would  be  to  ascertain  what  is  true, 
and  give  a  fair  statement  of  it.  Whatever  may  have  been 
done  formerly,  or  may  be  doing  now  by  private  detectives, 
in  the  way  of  put  up  jobs,  for  the  purpose  of  making  ephem- 


62  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

eral  reputations  and  extorting  money,  the  time  has  long 
since  passed  for  that  kind  of  work  in  the  United  States  Secret 
Service.  There  is  too  much  real  work  to  be  done.  The  most 
daring  ambition  in  that  direction  may  find  an  ample  field  in 
hunting  for  real  criminals,  and  the  wonder  is  that  there  are 
competent  men  willing  to  do  it.  It  requires  greater  courage 
to  be  a  successful  operative  in  the  Secret  Service  of  the  United 
States,  than  to  be  a  private  soldier  of  the  line.  The  soldier 
may  go  courageously  through  battle,  amid  the  roaring  of 
cannon,  the  rattling  of  musketry,  and  shouting  of  victorious 
numbers,  who  would  quail  in  a  single  hand-to-hand  conflict 
in  the  dark  with  a  desperate  criminal.  The  operative  in  the 
United  States  Secret  Service  requires  all  the  courage  of  the 
private  soldier,  combined  with  the  skill  of  tho  trained  com- 
mander. As  evidence  that  many  of  them  possess  these  quali- 
fications, we  have  only  to  call  to  mind  the  vast  amount  of 
work  done  by  them  among  the  moonshine  distillers,  in  the 
mountains  of  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  and  the  large  number 
of  deaths  of  the  brave  men  accomplishing  it. 

The  street  cars  stopped  running  at  ten  o'clock,  while  all 
was  yet  in  darkness,  but  soon  after  the  tragedy  the  moon 
arose  and  the  light  struggling  through  the  clouds  enabled  us 
to  find  our  way  back  to  the  city. .  Washburn  was  lame  from 
a  sprained  ankle,  and  unable  to  walk  to  town.  The  writer 
went  over  on  the  opposite  hill  to  the  residence  of  Wm.  Bickes, 
the  sexton  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  and  asked  for  a  horse  and 
spring  wagon,  telling  him  that  one  of  the  men  was  unable  to 
walk,  and  we  wanted  it  to  take  him  to  the  city.  We  arrived 
a  little  after  eleven  o'clock. 

We  let  the  broken  sarcophagus  and  the  interior  of  the  cata- 
comb remain  as  the  robbers  left  it,  with  the  exception  of  put- 
ting a  new  lock  which  I  had  in  Memorial  Hall,  on  the  door, 
and  gathering  up  the  tools.  Large  numbers  of  people  came 
out  and  saw  the  effect  of  their  work,  as  it  is  shown  in  the 
broken  sarcophagus.  As  previously  stated,  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  ninth,  we  had  workmen  come  out,  push  the  coffin  back 
in  its  place,  put  the  marble  together,  cement  the  joints  and 
leave  all  as  the  robbers  found  it  on  the  night  of  Nov.  7th, 
and  as  it  is  restored,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  engraving. 

It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  the  attempt  to  steal  the 
remains  of  President  Lincoln,  should  have  occurred  on  the 


ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  (>3 

thirty-ninth  anniversary  of  the  assination  of  Eev.  Elijah  P. 
Lovejoy,  the  first  prominent  martyr  in  the  cause  of  abolish- 
ing human  slavery  in  the  United  States  of  America,  which 
occurred  at  Alton,  Illinois,  about  the  same  hour  on  the  even- 
ing of  Nov.  7,  1837. 

Many  visitors  have  expressed  surprise  that  the  marble  was 
not  broken.  Swegles  explained  that  to  the  writer,  when  he 
was  here  the  next  May  at  the  trial.  He  said  they  found  no 
difficulty  in  removing  the  extreme  top  piece,  but  w7hen  they 
attempted  to  remove  the  main  lid,  which  projects  over  the 
sides,  it  was  found  that  although  the  cement  was  broken, 
they  could  not  turn  it  around.  Mullins  was  in  the  act  of 
striking  upward  with  the  axe,  to  break  off  the  edges  of  the 
projecting  marble,  when  Swegles  caught  his  arm  and  reminded 
him  that  it  was  but  a  short  distance  to  the  residence  of  the 
sexton  of  the  Cemetery;  and  that  they  might  be  heard  and 
compelled  to  leave  without  accomplishing  their  object.  He 
then  proposed  that  they  all  join  in  removing  it,  which  they 
did  by  lifting  until  the  fact  was  revealed  that  there  were 
three  copper  dowels  on  each  side.  By  lifting  it  above  these 
dowels,  they  were  able  to  turn  it  across  the  sarcophagus, 
when  they  pushed  it  back  against  the  wall,  as  shown  in  the 
engraving, 

When  we  all  went  from  the  Monument  into  the  city,  some 
visited  the  telegraph  and  newspaper  offices,  and  an  account 
of  the  events  of  the  evening  was  read  next  morning,  not  only 
in  the  papers  of  our  own  country,  but  in  all  other  countries 
reached  by  the  telegraph,  producing  a  sensation  which  for  a 
time  overshadowed  the  election  news.  Tyrrell,  Hay  and  Mc- 
Donald boarded  the  midnight  train  on  the  Chicago  and  Alton 
road  for  Chicago.  Swegles  went  on  the  same  train,  but  kept 
as  much  under  cover  as  possible.  Washburn  and  McGinn  re- 
mained to  examine  the  field  next  morning.  There  was  some 
expectation  that  Hughes  and  Mullins  would  also  go  on  the 
midnight  train  for  Cnicago,  but  they  were  too  shrewd  for 
that.  The  next  morning  they  called  for  breakfast  at  a  farm 
house  north  of  the  Sangamon  river,  about  seven  miles  north- 
east of  Springfield,  and  after  that  disappeared  for  nearly 
ten  days,  when  Swegles  reported  to  Tyrrell  that  they  were 
together  at  the  "Hub,"  Mullins'  drinking  saloon  294  West 
Madison  street,  Chicago.  A  warrant  was  procured  and  placed 


64  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL   THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

in  the  hands  of  Dennis  Simms,  of  the  Chicago  city  police  force. 
About  eleven  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  17,  1876,  officers 
Simms,  McGinn,  Tyrrell  and  ex-Chief  Washburn  entered  the 
"Hub,"  and  at  the  same  time  captured  both  Mullins  and 
Hughes,  handcuffed  them,  drove  to  the  Central  police  station 
and  lodged  them  in  prison.  They  were  brought  to  Spring- 
field, arriving  on  the  Chicago  and  Alton  train,  Saturday 
morning,  Nov.  18th.  They  were  visited  at  the  county  jail 
and  identified  by  several  persons, — the  Custodian  among  them, 
— who  had  seen  them  while  here  on  their  ghoulish  expedition. 
As  previously  intimated,  it  was  so  much  easier  to  dispose 
of  the  whole  question  of  the  Lincoln  tomb  robbery  by  crying 
"put  up  job,"  on  the  part  of  the  detectives,  than  to  investi- 
gate the  subject  and  obtain  the  facts,  that  charges  of  that 
kind  were  freely  made,  and  rung  on  all  the  changes  up  and 
down  the  scale.  They  especially  charged  that  the  plot  was 
gotten  up  in  the  interest  of  Elmer  Washburn,  who  had  until 
a  short  time  previous  to  that  event  been  Chief  of  the  United 
States  Secret  Service.  A  letter  from  Hon.  Leonard  Swett,  in 
the  Chicago  Tribune  of  Nov.  23,  1876,  very  emphatically  re- 
futes that  charge,  and  I  think  in  justice  to  him  that  it  should 
form. a  part  of  this  history.  The  letter  is  as  follows: 

CHICAGO,  Nov.  22  (1876). — As  in  imations  have  been  made  in  the  daily  papers 
that  the  arrest  of  the  parties  charged  with  desecrating  the  tomb  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  fraudulent,  and  induced  by  Elmer  Washburn,  and  as  the  facts  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  case  are  known  to  me.  and  based  upon  my  request,  I  consider  it 
my  duty,  in  justice  to  him,  and  without  his  knowledge  or  solicitation,  to  state  what 
T  know  in  reference  to  the  facts  involved. 

One  day  during  the  Sullivan  trial,  a  lawyer  came  to  me  manifesting  great 
earnestness,  and  said  a  client  of  his  had  revealed  to  Mm  the  fact  that  a  plan  was 
on  foot  to  steal  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  do  not  consider  it  proper  to  state 
anything  more  in  reference  to  this  plan  or  its  objects,  than  to  say  that  it  had  no 
connection  with  politics,  but  was  simply  crime,  and  to  accomplish  criminal  and 
mercenary  ends. 

I  asked  permission  to  state  the  facts  to  Robert  Lincoln,  and  upon  consultation 
with  him  wrote  to  John  T.  Stuart,  of  Springfield,  w  o  had  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  stating  simply  what  I  had  heard, 
and  expressed  no  opinion  upon  the  facts,  but  suggested  that  perhaps  the  slightest 
intimation  of  danger  ought  to  induce  proper  safeguards,  if  the  body  was  in  a  posi- 
tion where  it  could  possibly  be  exposed  to  such  a  scheme.  The  next  day  brought 
to  my  knowledge  the  fact  that  any  public  guard,  or  open  precaution  would  simply 
postpone  the  attempt,  and  therefore,  upon  the  belief  that  the  officers  themselves 
would  catch  the  parties  in  the  act,  it  was  thought  best  to  let  them  do  it. 

I  therefore  wrote  to  Mr.  Stuart  again,  telling  him  that  the  plan  had  been  matured 
to  catch  the  perpetrators  in  the  act,  but  while  this  was  promised,  and  in  deference 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  65 

to  it  our  precautions  should  be  secret,  still  they  should  be  so  effectual  as  to  leave 
no  danger  of  the  success  of  the  thieves.  Some  ten  days  elapsed,  the  details  of 
which  I  purposely  omit,  but  the  result  was  that  the  parties  got  ready  and  selected 
-election  night,  because  public  attention  would  then  be  absorbed. 

Up  to  this  time,  all  I  had  done  was  at  the  request  of  Robert  Lincoln,  to  induce 
the  precautions  at  Springfield  above  stated.  He  also  asked  me,  as  he  did  not  wish 
to  act  in  the  matter,  to  do  anything  I  might  consider  prudent  and  proper.  He 
came  to  me  the  day  of  the  night  the  parties  were  going,  and  said  he  was  fearful 
.generally  about  what  would  be  done,  and  the  result,  and  I  suggested,  as  Elmer 
Washburn  was  in  town,  and  I  placed  full  reliance  both  in  his  discretion  and  integ- 
rity, that  we  should  consult  him  generally  on  the  situation. 

That  afternoon  Mr.  Washburn  was  consulted  by  Robert,  but  I  was  not  able  to  be 
present,  and  that  night  after  this  consultation,  Mr.  Washburn  informed  me  that  the 
parties  had  gone  to  Springfield  on  the  evening  train.  This  was  the  first  informa- 
tion I  had  t'  at  they  were  going  at  a  definite  time,  or  that  they  had  gone.  If  I  had 
known  certainly  that  they  were  going,  I  should  have  procured  Washburn  to  follow 
them  at  once,  but  then  it  was  too  late. 

I  begged  Washburn  to  go  down  the  next  morning,  but  he  expressed  reluctance 
because  he  had  no  authority,  and  it  might  seem  like  interfering.  I  told  him  I  was 
authorized  by  Robert  to  act,  and  urged  him  in  every  way  I  could  to  go  to  Spring- 
field on  the  morning  train.  He  finally  promised  that,  after  voting  at  the  Twenty- 
second  Street  Station,  he  would  then  take  the  Chicago  and  Alton  train  if  he  could, 
and  if  he  failed  he  would  report  to  me,  and  I  said  I  would  get  a  special  engine  for 
him. 

After  leaving  him  I  became  fearful,  that  in  thinking  the  matter  over  his  disin- 
clination to  interfere  might  finally  prevail,  and  I  went  to  Twenty-second  street 
station  a  few  minutes  after  the  polls  opened  and  waited  until  nine,  for  the  purpose 
of  placing  in  his  hands  a  written  request  on  behalf  of  Robert  and  myself  for  him 
to  take  charge  of  the  matter  in  connection  with  Mr.  Tyrrell. 

Missing  him  there,  as  he,  in  fact,  voted  near  the  Palmer  House,  I  went  to  Roberts' 
house,  and  after  becoming  satisfied  that  he  had  gone  on  the  nine  o'clock  train,  we 
telegraphed  him  at  Bloomington,  en  route,  to  take  charge  of  the  matter,  and  we 
would  back  him  in  whatever  he  might  do.  The  object  of  this  was  that  he  might 
feel  authorized  to  act,  as  far  as  we  could  authorize  him.  That  night  Washburn 
telegraphed  me  that  the  parties  had  escaped,  but  although  temporarily  baffled,  he 
and  Mr.  Tyrrell  worked  with  skill  and  caution,  and  finally  caught  the  men. 

Nobody  in  connection  with  this  whole  matter  has  been  trying  to  make  any  money 
or  affix  any  conditions  to  their  work,  or  in  any  way  secure  any  compensation.    The 
only  money  that  has  been  paid  out  is  a  matter  of  $2.00  per  day  to  some  parties  i 
connected  with  the  case  who  are  poor  and  could  not  give  their  time  without  com- 
pensation. 

The  conduct  of  the  officers  has  been  such  as  would  meet  with  the  approval  of  all, 
provided  they  knew  the  facts  involved.  The  arrests  having  been  made,  I  employed 
the  Hon.  Charles  H.  Reed  to  go  to  Springfield  to  take  charge  of  the  prosecution. 
I  did  this  because  I  thought  my  feelings  might  misguide  me,  and  I  knew  him  to  be 
one  of  the  best  prosecutors  in  the  country.  When  all  the  facts  are  known,  the 
gentlemen  I  have  named  will  be  entitled  to,  and  doubtless  will  receive,  the  thanks 
of  all  who  loved  Mr.  Lincoln  and  who  wish  that  his  ashes  may  rest  in  peace. 

Yours  truly, 

LEONARD  SWETT. 


66  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 

The  capture  of  these  miscreants  brought  about  a  remarka- 
ble revelation.  The  reader  will  remember  that  James  B. 
Kinealy,  who  originated  in  St.  Louis  the  first  plot  to  rob  the- 
tomb  of  Lincoln,  put  it  into  the  hands  of  a  go-between,  or 
messenger  between  himself  and  his  band  of  coney  men  at  the 
town  of  Lincoln,  Logan  county,  Illinois,  to  carry  into  execu- 
tion. The  messenger  selecting  four  others,  they  five  came  to- 
Springfield,  and  when  all  things  were  about  ready  to  consum- 
mate their  designs,  the  drunkenness  of  one  of  their  number 
exploded  the  scheme,  and  Kinealy  went  under  cover,  and  was 
seen  no  more  by  officeas  until  after  the  arrest  of  Hughes  and 
Mullins,  when  it  was  found  that  he  was  partner  with  Mullins- 
in  the  "Hub"  saloon.  He  was  the  party  from  St.  Louis  men- 
tioned by  Swegles  in  his  reports  to  Tyrrell  of  his  first  inter- 
views with  the  conspirators.  The  officers  then  having  no 
charge  against  Kinealy,  he  was  left  there.  His  good  fortune 
or  natural  shrewdness  seems  afterward  to  have  forsaken  him. 
He  was  arrested  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  April  14,  1880,  for 
dealing  and  having  in  his  possession  counterfeit  $10  U.  S, 
Treasury  notes,  and  Nov.  18,  1882,  he  plead  guilty  in  the- 
U.  S.  District  Court  in  St.  Louis,  and  was  sentenced  to  serve- 
one  year  in  Chester,  Illinois,  penitentiary,  and  he  served  that 
term. 

At  that  time  there  was  not  a  law  on  the  statute  books  of 
Illinois  that  made  it  a  penitentiary  offense  to  rob  a  grave  or 
in  any  way  steal  a  dead  body.  A  law  was  enacted  and  ap- 
proved May  21,  1879,  which  came  in  force  July  first  of  the 
same  year,  under  which  a  party  convicted  of  that  offense,  is 
subject  to  a  penalty  of  not  less  than  one  nor  more  than  ten 
years  in  the  penitentiary.  In  order  to  inflict  anything  like 
an  adequate  penalty,  these  men  had  to  be  tried  for  something 
more  than  an  attempt  to  steal  the  remains  of  President  Lin- 
coln. The  circuit  court  of  Sangamon  county  was  in  session 
at  the  time  they  were  captured,  but  its  grand  jury  for  that 
term  had  transacted  all  the  business  that  came  before  it,  and 
had  been  discharged.  This  case  was  so  shocking  to  the  finer 
feelings  of  humanity  that  it  was  thought  by  the  court  to  be 
of  sufficient  importance  to  summon  a  special  grand  jury,  to 
proceed  with  the  case  at  once,  and  it  was  accordingly  done. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  give  a  detailed  report  of  the  evidence 
and  pleadings  on  the  subject.  I  think  it  will  be  reasonably 


ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL   THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  67 

satisfactory  to  the  public  to  give  a  transcript  from  the  records 
of  the  court,  certified  in  due  form,  which  I  here  proceed  to  lay- 
before  the  reader. 


DIVISION  FIFTH. 


Grand  Jury  of  Sangamon  County  find  a  True  Bill  of  Indictment  against  the 
Thieves — Their  Trial  and  Conviction  in  Springfield — Their  Removal  to  the 
Penitentiary  at  Joliet. 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  ) 
SANUAMON  COUNTY.  [ 

In  Circuit  Courts-November  Special  Term,  A.  D.  1876. 


Pleas,  before  the  Honorable  Charles  S.  Zane,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Judicial  Circuit  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  sole  presiding  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Sangamon  county,  in  the  State  aforesaid,  and  at  a  special  term 
thereof,  begun  and  held  at  the  Court  House,  in  the  city  of  Springfield,  in  said 
county,  on  the  thirteenth  day,  being  the  twentieth  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-six,  and  of  the  independence  of 
the  said  United  States  the  one  hundred  and  first. 

Present— Honorable  Charles  S.  Zane,  Judge  of  the  Nineteenth  Judicial  Circuit 
of  the  State  of  Illinois;  James  A.  Winston,  Clerk;  R.  H.  Hazlitt,  State's  Attorney; 
L.  H.  Ticknor,  Sheriff. 

[Attest.]        E.  R,  ROBERTS,  Clerk. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  the  twentieth  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1876,  the  same  being: 
one  of  the  term  days  of  the  special  November  term,  A.  D.  1876,  the  following  pro- 
ceedings were  had  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

And  now  comes  the  Sheriff  of  Sangamon  county  and  returns  into  open  court  the- 
names  of  the  persons  summoned  by  him  according  to  law,  and  the  special  venire- 
issued  by  the  clerk  in  obedience  to  the  order  of  the  court,  this  day  entered  of  re- 
cord, to  serve  as  a  special  Grand  Jury  at  the  present  term,  to-wit:  William  C. 
Greenwood,  Henson  Robinson,  John  0.  Rames,  D.  W.  Peden,  Val  B.  Hummel, 
William  Chamberlain,  Niriian  W.  Taylor,  Edward  R.  Pirkins,  William  H.  Holland, 
B.  F.  Fox,  Edward  R.  Roberts,  George  N.  Black,  John  W.  Chenery,  G.  A.  Van 
Duyn,  O.  F.  Stebbins,  A.  M.  Sims,  James  M.  Garland,  Joel  B.  Brown,  Charles  A> 
Helmle,  Samuel  Haines,  R.  W.  Diller,  Thomas  C.  Jewell  and  S.  Cook  Hampton; 
who  are  now  called  and  all  answer  to  their  names.  Thereupon  the  Court  appointed 
R.  W.  Diller  as  Foreman  of  said  Grand  Jury,  and  the  said  Foreman  and  said  Grand 
Jury  being  first  duly  sworn,  according  to  law,  as  a  grand  inquest  for  the  People  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  to  inquire  for  the  body  of  the  county  of  Sangamon,  are  then 
by  the  State's  Attorney  charged  touching  their  duties,  and  retire  to  consider  of 
their  presentments,  in  charge  of  an  officer  of  the  court,  who  for  that  purpose  was 
duly  sworn. 


68  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL,  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

And  on  the  same  day  and  date  last  aforesaid,  the  following  further  proceedings 
were  had  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit:  And  now  comes  the  Grand  Jury  into  open 
court,  and  presents  the  following  bill  of  indictment,  endorsed  as  follows,  which,  by 
order  of  court,  is  filed,  the  case  docketed,  and  said  indictment  spread  at  large  upon 
the  records: 

The  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  (_  indictment  for  attempt  to  com- 

Terrence  Mullen  alias,  and  Jack  Hughes  alias.  \      mlt  larceny- 

A  TRUE  BILL. 


E.  W.  DILLEB,  Foreman  of  the  Grand  Jury. 


WITNESSES. 

Thos.  C.  Smith,  Elmer  Washburn,  Patrick  D.  Tyrrell,  Lewis  C.  Swegles,  John  C. 
McGinn,  Peter  Engel,  John  C.  Power.  Additional  witnesses,  on  the  other  side, 
M  illiam  Bickes,  Geo.  Hay,  Wm.  Neely,  O.  M.  Hatch,  Geo.  H.  Harlow,  John  W. 
Bunn,  William  Jayne,  Fred.  Schlitt,  Geo.  P.  English,  John  T.  Stuart,  O.  H.  Miner. 
Said  indictment  is  in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to-wit : 
STATE  OF  II/LIXOI.S,  } 

SANGAMON  COUNTY.  J 

Of  the  November  special  term  of  said  Sangamon  county,  A.  D.,  1876. 


The  Grand  Jurors  chosen,  selected  and  sworn  in  and  for  said  Sangamon  county, 
in  said  State  of  Illinois,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  People  of  said 
State  of  Illinois,  upon  their  oaths  present, 

That  Terrance  Mullen  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes  alias  J.  Smith,  on  the 
seventh  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
seventy-six,  in  said  county  and  State,  did  unlawfully  and  feloniously  attempt  to 
steal,  take  and  carry  away  certain  personal  property,  to-wit:  One  casket,  otherwise 
called  a  coffin,  of  the  value  of  seventy-five  dollars,  the  personal  goods  and  property 
of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  the  said  Lincoln  Monument  Asso- 
ciation being  then  and  there  a  corporation  organized  under  and  by  virtue  of  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  contrary  to  the  statutes  and  against  the  peace  and 
dignity  of  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

ROBERT  H.  HAZLETT, 

Filed  Nov.  20, 1876.  State's  Attorney. 

JAMES  A.  WINSTON,  Clerk. 

And  now  comes  again  the  Grand  Jury  in  open  court,  and  presents  the  following 
bill  of  indictment,  endorsed  as  follows,  which  by  order  of  the  court  is  filed,  the  case 
docketed,  and  indictment  spread  upon  the  records. 

The  People  of  Illinois  ) 

vs.  >•     Indictment  for  Conspiracy. 

Terrence  MulL'n  alias,  and  John  Hughes  alias.  ) 


A  TRUE  BILL. 


R.  W.  DnvLEK,  Foreman  of  the  Grand  Jury. 


WITNESSES. 

Thomas  C.  Smith,  Elmer  Washburn,  Patrick  D.  Tyrrell,  Lewis  C.  Swegles,  John 
C.  McGinn,  Peter  Engel,  John  C.  Power,  William  Bickes,  George   Hay,   William 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL    THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  6l> 

Neely,  0.  M.  Hatch,  George  H.  Harlow.    Additional  witnesses  on  the  other  side, 
John  W.  Bunn,  William  Jayne,  Fred.  Schlitt,  Geo.  P.  English,  John  T.  Stuart,  O. 
H.  Miner. 
Said  indictment  is  in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to-wit: 

STATE  OF  II/LINO-S,     ) 
SANGAMON  COUNTY,  f   " 

Of  the  special  November  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  said  Sangamon 

County,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  One  Thousand  Eight 

Hundred  and  Seventy-six. 

The  Grand  Jurors  chosen,  selected  and  sworh,  in  and  for  said  Sangamon  county, 
in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  upon  their 
oaths  present,  that  heretofore,  to-wit :  On  the  Seventh  day  of  November,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-six,  there  was  situated 
and  located  in  said  Sangamon  county,  a  certain  place  for  the  interment  of  the  re- 
mains of  a  human  body,  called  a  tomb,  and  that  the  said  place  for  the  interment  of 
the  remains  of  a  human  body,  called  a  tomb,  then  and  there  contained  and  had  de- 
posited in  it  a  certain  casket,  otherwise  called  a  coffin  ;  and  that  the  casket  other- 
wise called  a  coffin,  then  and  there  contained  the  human  remains  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, before  then  deceased,  and  lawfully  put  and  deposited  in  said  casket,  other- 
wise called  a  coffin  ;  and  that  on  the  said  seventh  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  aforesaid,  in  said  Sangamon  county,  Terrence  Mullen  alias  T.  Durnan, 
and  John  Hughes  alias  J.  Smith,  did  unlawfully,  wickedly,  knowingly  and  felon- 
iously combine,  conspire  and  agree  together  willfully  and  without  authority  to  for- 
cibly break  open  and  enter  said  tomb  and  unlawfully,  feloniously,  willfully  and 
without  authority,  take,  remove,  convey  and  carry  away  from  said  tomb  the  said 
casket,  otherwise  called  a  coffin,  and  the  said  human  remains  of  said  Abraham- 
Lincoln,*  contrary  to  the  law  and  against  the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  said  People 
of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

And  the  Grand  Jurors  aforesaid,  upon  their  oaths  aforesaid,  further  present  that 
the  said  Terrence  Mullen,  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes,  alias  J.  Smith,  on 
the  day  and  year  aforesaid,  did  unlawfully,  wickedly,  knowingly  and  feloniously 
combine,  conspire  and  agree  together  unlawfully  and  feloniously  to  steal,  take  and 
carry  away,  certain  personal  goods  and  property,  to  wit:  the  said  casket,  otherwise 
called  a  coffin,  of  the  value  of  seventy-five  dollars,  the  personal  goods  and  prop- 
erty of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  the  said  Association  being; 
then  and  there  organized  under  the  laws  of  said  State  of  Illinois,  contrary  to  stat- 
utes, and  against  the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  said  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

EGBERT  H.  HAZLITT, 

Filed  Nov.  20,  1876.  State's  Attorney. 

JAMES  A.  WINSTON,  Clerk. 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ) 

vs.  [-  Attempt  at  larceny. 

Terrence  Mullen  alias,  and  John  Hughes  alias,  Defendants.  ) 

Upon  motion  of  the  State's  Attorney,  the  defendants  bail  is  fixed  at  six  thous- 
and dollars  each,  and  this  cause  is  continued. 

*This  is  a  mistake,  they  never  got  the  remains  out  of  the  coffin,  nor  the  coffin 
out  of  the  sarcophagus.  Se-.  cut  of  the  sarcophagus  as  the  thieves  left  it. 


70  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF   LINCOLN. 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ) 

vs.  >•  Conspiracy. 

Terrence  Mullen  alias,  and  John  Hughes  alias,  Defendants.  ) 

Upon  motion  of  the  State's  Attorney,  the  defendants'  bail  is  fixed  at  four  thou- 
sand dollars  each,  and  this  cause  is  continued. 

Thereafter,  to  wit,  on  the  14th  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1877,  the  same  being  one  of 
the  term  days  of  the  February  Term,  A.  D.  1877,  of  said  court,  the  following 
further  proceedings  were  had  in  said  cause,  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ) 

vs.  >•     Attempt  to  commit  larceny. 

Terrence  Mullen  and  John  Hughes,  Defendants.  ) 

And  now  comes  the  State's  attorney  and  the  defendants  in  proper  person  and  by 
counsel,  and  leave  is  given  State's  attorney  to  endorse  names  of  John  Dixon, 
Thomas  Keagle,  T.  J.  Sharp  and  William  Beertsall,  as  witnesses  for  the  prosecu- 
tion. 

And  upon  motion  of  defendants'  attorney,  it  is  ordered  that  the  venue  in  this 
•cause  be,  and  it  is  hereby  changed  to  the  county  of  Logan,  State  of  Illinois,  and 
that  the  clerk  make  up  and  transmit  to  the  clerk  of  the  Logan  County  Circuit 
Court,  a  transcript  of  the  record,  and  original  papers  herein. 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ) 

vs.  >  Conspiracy. 

Terrence  Mullen  and  John  Hughes,  alias,  Defendants.  ) 

And  now  comes  the  State's  attorney,  and  the  defendants  in  proper  person  and 
by  counsel,  and  leave  is  given  State's  attorney  to  endorse  the  names  of  John 
Dixon,  Thomas  Keagle,  T.  J.  Sharp  and  William  Beertsall,  on  the  indictment 
herein,  as  witnesses  for  the  prosecution,  and  upon  motion  of  defendants'  attorney, 
and  petition  filed,  it  is  ordered  that  the  venue  in  this  cause  be,  and  it  is  hereby 
changed  to  the  county  of  Logan  and  State  of  Illinois,  and  that  the  clerk  make  up 
and  transmit  to  the  clerk  of  the  Logan  County  Circuit  Court  a  transcript  of  the 
record,  and  original  papers  herein. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  the  17th  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1877,  the  same  being  one  of 
the  term  days  of  the  February  term  A.  D.  1877,  of  said  court,  the  following  further 
proceedings  were  had  in  said  cause,  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ) 

vs.  >-  Attempt  to  commit  larceny. 

Terrence  Mullen  and  John  Hughes,  alias,  Defendants.  ) 

And  now  comes  the  State's  attorney  and  the  defendants  in  proper  person,  and 
upon  then-  motion  the  order  changing  the  venue  of  this  cause  of  Logan  countv, 
Illinois,  is  set  aside,  and  the  defendants  bail  is  fixed  at  thirty-five  hundred  dollars 
each,  and  this  cause  is  continued. 

The  People,  Plaintiffs,  ) 

vs.  >-     Conspiracy. 

Terrence  Mullen  and  John  Hughes,  alias,  Defendants.        ) 

And  now  comes  the  State's  attorney,  and  the  defendants  in  proper  person,  and 
upon  their  motion  the  order  changing  the  venue  of  this  cause  to  Logan  county, 
Illinois,  is  set  aside,  and  the  defendants'  bail  is  fixed  at  three  thousand  dollars  each, 
and  this  cause  is  continued. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  the  28th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1877,  the  same  being  one  of 
the  term  days  of  the  May  term,  A.  D.  1877,  of  said  court,  the  following  further 
proceedings  were  had  in  said  cause,  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  71 

The  People,  Plaintiffs,  i 

vs.  Conspiracy. 

Terrence  Mullen  alias,  and  John  Hughes  alias,  Defendants.  \ 

And  now  comes  the  State's  attorney  and  the  defendants,  each  in  proper  person, 
and  by  counsel,  and  file  their  affidavit  and  enter  their  motion  for  a  continuance 
herein,  (said  affidavit  is  in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to-wit): 
STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  | 
.SANGAHON  COUNTY,  j 

In  the  Circuit  Court— May  Term,  A.  D.  1877. 


The  People, 

vs.  }-     Conspiracy. 

Terrence  Mullen  and  John  Hughes. 

Terrence  Mullen  and  John  Hughes,  after  first  being  duly  sworn,  on  oath  say, 
"that  they  are  the  defendants  in  the  above  entitled  cause,  and  that  they  cannot 
safely  proceed  to  trial  at  the  present  term  of  this  honorable  court,  on  account  of 
the  absence  of  A.  F.  Ryan,  T.  C.  Latre,  Henry  Hughes,  Daniel  Hughes,  Michael 
Hickey,  Dennis  Simmons,  Davis  (a  policeman),  Patrick  Carlisle,  Bridget  Lewis, 
Frank  Wilder,  R.  C.  Bennett,  James  Shaw,  James  Carroll,  Herbert  Nelson,  John  P. 
Barnes,  Boyington,  of  Boyington  &  Murphy,  James  Caroney,  James  C.  Clare, 
Peter  Carey,  John  Murphy,  Joseph  Shultz,  Frank  Hatch,  James  B.  Kennedy,  who 
are  material  witnesses  for  affiants  on  the  trial  of  the  above  entitled  cause. 

And  affiants  further  say  that  they  are  informed  that  the  witnesses  for  the  prose- 
cution in  this  case  will  swear  that  the  alleged  conspiracy  was  concocted  and  en- 
tered into  on  the  night  of  the  5th  day  of  November  last,  at  the  house  of  one  Sweg- 
les,  at  about  the  hour  of  9  P.  M.  of  said  day,  and  that  certain  plans  to  rob  the 
tomb  of  Abraham  Lincoln  were  formed  at  that  time,  and  which  were  afterwards 
carried  out  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  the  affiants  being  there  present,  and  taking  part 
in  said  plans. 

Affiants  expect  to  prove  by  said  Patrick  Ryan,  James  Carroll  and  James  Ken- 
nedy, that  affiants  were  not  at  any  meeting  at  Swegles'  house,  or  with  the  said 
Swegles  on  the  said  night,  and  that  they  did  not  take  part  on  said  night  in  any  i 
meeting  with  the  said  Swegles,  or  any  one  else,  for  the  purpose  or  in  connection  • 
with  any  conspiracy  to  rob  the  tomb  of  said  Lincoln,  but  that  they  were  with  the  ; 
said  witnesses  during  all  of  said  night  until  twelve  o'clock  of  said  night,  and  that 
affiants  nor  either  of  them  saw  or  spoke  to  the  said  Swegles  on  the  night  in  ques- 
tion. 

That  said  witnesses  above  named  reside  in  the  county  of  Cook,  State  of  Illinois, 
except  Daniel  and  Henry  Hughes,  who  live  in  Iroquois  county,  in  this  State. 
Affiants  expect  to  prove  by  said  Frank  Hatch  and  Thomas  McMann,  that  the  said 
Swegles,  about  one  year  before  the  7th  day  of  last  November,  proposed  to  them  to 
assist  him  in  robbing  the  said  tomb,  and  then  stated  to  them  that  he  was  going  to 
form  a  conspiracy  to  rob  said  tomb,  and  wanted  them  to  take  a  part  therein. 

Affiants  expect  to  prove  by  said  Shaw,  that  said  Swegles  has  been  convicted  of 
an  infamous  crime,  and  was  confined  for  said  offense  in  the  State  penitentiary  of 
Wisconsin. 

Affiants  expect  to  prove  by  said  Bennett,  that  they  did  not  come  to  Springfield 
on  the  7th  day  of  November,  to  rob  said  tomb,  but  came  here  on  lawful  business. 

Affiants  expect  to  prove  by  Bridget  Lewis  that  the  said  Swegles  offered  her  in 
•consideration  of  two  thousand  dollars  to  be  paid  him,  to  secure  the  discharged  an 


72  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL,  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

acquittal  of  these  affiants  of  this  charge,  and  to  furnish  evidence  to  show  that  this 
prosecution  was  concocted  by  one  Tyrrell,  a  witness  in  this  case. 

Affiants  expect  to  prove  by  the  remainder  of  witnesses  above  named  that  they, 
the  affiants,  have  hitherto  a  good  reputation  for  honesty  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
where  they  lived  previous  to  the  finding  of  this  indictment,  and  that  Tyrrell  and 
Swegles,  the  principal  witnesses  in  this  case,  are  unworthy  of  belief.  That  on  the 
day  this  cause  was  set  for  trial,  affiants  caused  subpoenas,  directed  to  the  sheriff  of 
Cook  county,  to  be  issued  for  said  witnesses,  except  Kennedy,  who  promised 
affiants  to  attend  as  a  witness  in  this  cause,  without  subpoena.  That  they  put  said 
subpoenas  in  the  hands  of  Bridget  Lewis,  and  sent  her  to  Chicago  on  the  first  train 
after  said  cause  was  so  set  down  for  trial,  with  directions  to  put  the  same  in  the 
hands  of  the  sheriff  of  Cook  county  as  soon  as  she  arrived  in  Chicago,  and  use 
her  utmost  endeavors  to  have  the  same  served. 

That  they  are  informed  and  believe  that  the  said  Bridget  Lewis  has  followed 
their  directions,  and  that  some  of  said  witnesses  have  been  served;  but  the  sheriff 
of  Cook  county  has  not  yet  returned  any  of  said  subpoenas.  That  affiants  know 
of  no  other  witnesses  by  whom  they  can  prove  the  facts  above  set  forth. 

And  affiants  say  they  are  not  guilty  of  the  crime  charged  in  said  indictment,  and 
if  they  can  procure  the  attendance  of  said  witnesses,  they  can  make  their  inno- 
cence appear  beyond  all  question. 

That  this  application  is  not  made  for  delay,  but  that  justice  may  be  done. 
Affiants  further  say  that  they  gave  said  subpoenas  to  said  Bridget  Lewis,  because 
they  believed  she  would  give  the  matter  her  personal  and  earnest  attention,  and 
would  see  that  each  of  said  witnesses  were  found  and  served.  That  the  said 
Bridget  Lewis  promised  to  pay  the  fare  of  each  of  said  witnesses  as  were  unable 
to  pay  their  way  to  this  city.  .  JOHN  HUGHES, 

T.  MULLEN. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  John  Hughes  and  T.  Mullen,  this  28th 
day  of  May,  A.  D.  1877.  JAMES  A.  WINSTON,  Clerk. 

And  said  motion  and  affidavit  of  defendants  being  now  submitted  and  heard,  and 
duly  considered  by  the  court,  as  well  as  the  admission  of  the  State's  attorney 
herein  that  the  conspiracy  alleged  in  said  indictment  was  not  formed  at  the  house 
of  Lewis  C.  Swegles,  on  the  5th  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1876,  or  on  the  night  of 
the  5th  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1876,  upon  which  admission,  and  the  court  being 
fully  advised,  said  motion  for  a  continuance  of  this  cause  is  overruled  and  denied. 
To  which  decision  of  the  court  in  overruling  and  denying  their  motion  for  a  con- 
tinuance, said  defendants,  by  their  counsel,  then  and  there  excepted.  And  upon 
motion  of  the  State's  attorney,  it  is  ordered  that  a  special  venire  issue,  directed 
to  and  commanding  the  sheriff  to  summon  twenty-four  good  and  lawful  men  to- 
serve  as  petit  jurors  at  the  trial  of  this  cause  on  to-morrow  morning. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  May  29th,  A.  D.  1877,  the  same  being  one  of  the  term 
days  of  the  May  Term,  A  D.  1877,  of  said  court,  the  following  further  proceedings 
were  had  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ] 

vs 
Terrence  Mullen,  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes,  alias  J.  Smith,  j"   Conspiracy.. 

Defendants. 

And  now  on  this  day  come  again  the  State's  attorney,  and  the  defendants,  each 
in  proper  person  as  well  as  by  counsel,  and  upon  motion  of  the  State's  attorney,. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY    OF  LINCOLN.  73 

it  is  ordered  that  one  additional  venire  issue,  directed  to  and  commanding  the 
sheriff  to  summon  twenty-four  good  and  lawful  men,  to  serve  as  petit  jurors  upon 
the  trial  of  this  cause,  on  the  instant. 

And  the  said  defendants,  Terrenee  Mullen  alias  T.  Duman,  and  John  Hughes 
alias  J.  Smith,  being  brought  to  the  bar  of  this  court  to  answer  unto  the  charge 
presented  against  them  in  the  indictment  herein.  They  having  been  furnished 
with  a  copy  thereof,  a  list  of  the  prosecuting  witnesses  and  a  list  of  the  regular 
panel  of  jurors  in  attendance  at  the  present  week  of  this  term,  and  said  defend- 
ants being  now  arraigned  for  trial,  and  interrogated  as  to  their  guilt  or  innocence^ 
for  plea,  each  say  they  are  not  guilty,  in  manner  and  form  as  charged  in  the  in- 
dictment, and  issue  being  joined  to  try  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused,  then 
came  by  order  of  court  and  call  of  the  clerk,  a  jury  of  twelve  men  as  follows:  L. 
V.  Johnson,  Samuel  Hammons,  John  Curran,  Frank  B.  Kyan,  Miles  Granwell,  J. 
H.  Barrett,  Archie  Maxwell,  Hobart  T.  Ives,  D.  M.  Hamlin,  Isaac  Wallace,  Thomas 
C.  Jewell  and  Edward  lies,  who  were  selected,  tried  and  sworn,  well  and  truly  to 
try  the  issue  joined  and  true  verdict  render  according  to  the  law  and  the  evidence, 
and  hearing  the  evidence  in  this  cause  having  occupied  the  time  of  the  court  until 
the  hour  of  the  adjournment,  the  said  jury  are  placed  in  charge  of  an  officer  of  the 
court,  who  for  that  purpose  is  first  duly  sworn,  and  the  cause  is  continued  until  to- 
morrow morning. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  the  30th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1877,  the  following  proceed- 
ings were  had  in  said  court,  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ) 

vs.  >  Conspiracy. 

Terrenee  Mullen  alias,  and  John  Hughes  alias,  Defendants.  ) 

And  now  comes  the  State's  attorney  and  the  defendants  in  proper  person  as  well 
as  by  counsel,  and  also  the  jury  heretofore  empanneled  and  sworn  herein,  and  on 
motion  of  State's  Attorney  leave  is  given  him  to  endorse  the  names  of  Charles 
Elkin  and  John  Harrison  on  the  indictment  as  witnesses  for  the  People.  And 
hearing  the  evidence  in  this  cause  having  occupied  the  time  of  the  Court  until  its 
adjournment,  the  said  jury  are  placed  in  charge  of  officers  of  the  Court  who,  for 
that  purpose,  are  first  duly  sworn,  and  the  case  is  continued  until  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  the  31st  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1877,  the  following  further 
proceedings  were  had  in  said  court,  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  "1 

V8 

Terrenee  Mullen  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes  alias  J.  Smith,  (  Conspiracy- 
Defendants.  J 

And  now  comes  again  the  State's  attorney,  and  the  defendants,  Terrance  Mullen 
alias,  and  John  Hughes  alias,  as  well  as  the  jury  heretofore  empanneled  and  sworn 
herein,  and  said  jury  having  now  heard  the  evidence,  arguments  of  counsel,  and 
receiving  the  instructions  of  the  Court,  retired  in  charge  of  the  officers  of  the  Court, 
who  for  that  purpose  were  first  duly  sworn  to  consider  of  their  verdict,  and  said 
jury  having  deliberated  and  agreed,  were  by  said  officers  again  brought  into  open 
Court  and  for  their  verdict  say:  "We  the  jury  find  the  defendants  guilty  as 
charged  in  the  indictment,  and  fix  the  term  of  their  confinement  in  the  penitentiary 
at  one  year  each. 

—5 


~74  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

Thereupon  the  defendants  by  their  attorneys  entered  their  motion  in  arrest  of 
judgment,  and  for  a  new  trial  of  this  cause. 

Thereafter,  to-wit,  on  the  2d  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1877,  the  same  being  one  of 
the  term  days  of  the  May  term,  A.  D.  1877,  of  said  court,  the  following  further 
proceedings  were  had  in  said  cause,  and  entered  of  record,  to-wit: 

The  People,  Plaintiff,  ] 

Vft 

Terrence  Mullen  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes  alias  J.  Smith,  f   ConsPiracy- 
Defendants. 

And  now  again  comes  the  State's  Attorney  and  the  defendants,  Terrence  Mullen 
alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes  alias  J.  Smith,  in  proper  person  and  by  counsel 
also  came,  and  the  court  now  hearing  the  motion  in  arrest  of  judgment,  and  for  a 
new  trial  of  this  cause,  and  the  defendants  having  nothing  further  to  say,  said 
motion  is  overruled  and  denied. 

Therefore,  it  is  ordered  and  adjudged  by  the  Court  that  the  defendants,  Terrence 
Mullen  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes  alias  J.  Smith,  be  confined  in  the  peni- 
tentiary of  the  State  of  Illinois  at  Joliet,  for  the  term  of  one  year  each,  one  day 
of  which  is  to  be  in  solitary  confinement,  and  the  balance  at  hard  labor,  and  that 
they  pay  the  costs  of  this  prosecution,  and  that  fee  bill  execution  issue  therefor. 

It  is  further  ordered  that  the  Sheriff  of  Sangamon  county  convey  the  bodies  of 
said  defendants  to  the  penitentiary  aforesaid,  and  deliver  them  to  the  proper  offi- 
•cers  in  charge  thereof. 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 
SANGAMON  COTJNTT 

I,  E.  K.  Roberts,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Sangamon  County,  in  the  State 
aforesaid,  and  keeper  of  the  records  and  files  of  said  Court,  do  hereby  certify  the 
above  and  foregoing  to  be  true,  perfect  and  complete  copy  of  the  proceedings  of 
said  court,  in  a  certain  cause  in  said  Court,  on  the  criminal  side  thereof,  wherein 
the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois  are  plaintiffs,  and  Terrence  Mullen  alias,  and 
John  Hughes  alias,  are  defendants,  as  the  same  appear  from  the  records  and  files 
of  said  Court  now  in  my  office  remaining. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  affixed  the  seal  of 

[SEAL.]      said  Court,  at  Springfield,  this  30th  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1884. 

E.  E.  ROBEBTS,  Clerk. 


s,     j. 

*TY.  J 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL    THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN.  75 


DIVISION  SIXTH. 


Precautions  to  Protect  the.  Remains  from  further  Attempts  at  Robbery— The  Lin- 
coln Guard  of  Honor — The  Custodian  Warned  of  Danger — The  Body  Identi- 
fied Twenty-two  years  after  Death — Final  Burial — Custodian's  Historical  and 
Descriptive  Statements  to  Visitors — The  Remains  now  Absolutely  Safe. 


Having  disposed  of  the  thieves,  we  will  return  to  the  re- 
mains of  Mr.  Lincoln.  The  following  historical  statement 
properly  belongs  to  the  Eighth  Memorial  Service,  held  by  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  because  a  synopsis  of  it  was  read 
as  part  of  that  service  by  one  of  our  members,  but  it  is  more 
in  harmony  with  the  design  of  this  work,  to  have  the  account 
of  our  labors  in  guarding  the  body  of  Lincoln,  immediately 
follow  the  history  of  the  attempt  to  steal  it. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  after  the  funeral  journey  of 
nearly  seventeen  hundred  miles,  through  hundreds  of  towns 
and  cities,  traveling  night  and  day,  from  Washington  City  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  the  body  of  President  Lincoln  was  de- 
posited in  the  public  receiving  vault  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery, 
Thursday,  May  4,  1865. 

One  week  from  that  day,  May  11,  1865,  the  National  Lin- 
coln Monument  Association  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
•erecting  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
late  President  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

Their  first  work  was  to  build  a  temporary  vault  (see  map 
of  Monument  grounds}  on  the  grounds  secured  for  the  monu- 
ment, and  about  seventy-five  yards  from  the  receiving  tomb 
in  a  southeast  direction,  and  half-way  up  the  slope  of  the 
bluff.  The  body  was  removed  to  that  vault  December  21, 
1865. 

"In  process  of  transferring  the  remains,  the  box  containing 
the  coffin  was  opened,  in  order  that  the  features  of  the  de- 
ceased might  be  seen  and  identified;  and  six  of  his  personal 


76  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE   BODY   OF    LINCOLN. 

acquaintances — E.  J.  Oglesby,  O.  H.  Miner,  Jesse  K.  Dubois, 
Newton  Bateman,  0.  M.  Hatch  and  D.  L.  Phillips — filed  a 
written  statement  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Association  that 
it  was  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 

The  Monument  was  so  far  advanced  that  the  remains  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  a  son  of  President  Lincoln,  who  died  in  Chi- 
cago, July  15,  1871,  were  brought  to  Springfield,  and  depos- 
ited in  the  crypt  at  the  extreme  west,  on  the  17th  of  the 
month;  and  the  remains  of  the  President  and  his  two  sons, 
William  and  Edward,  were  removed  from  the  temporary 
vault,  September  19,  1871,  and  deposited  in  the  Monument. 
The  six  personal  friends  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  identified  his  re- 
mains on  the  occasion  of  their  being  deposited  in  the  tempo- 
rary vault,  again  viewed  them,  and  again  certified  in  writing 
that  it  was  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Both  papers  are 
on  file  with  the  Secretary  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
Association,  the  evidence  of  identity  is  thus  far  unbroken. 

Preparatory  to  moving  the  body  from  the  vault  to  the 
monument,  in  1871,  it  was  taken  out  of  the  original  coffin 
because  the  lead  lining  was  broken,  and  put  in  one  made  of 
iron.  When  the  sarcophagus  was  made,  it  was  found  that 
the  iron  coffin  with  the  lid  projecting  over  the  ends,  was  too 
long  to  go  into  it.  Then  the  coffin  of  red  cedar  was  made, 
and  heavily  lined  with  lead,  to  which  the  body  was  trans- 
ferred on  the  ninth  of  October,  1874.  Hon.  D.  L.  Phillips, 
— since  deceased, — a  member  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association,  was  present.  There  was  no  formal  record 
made  of  the  identity  of  the  body,  but  Mr.  Phillips,  Thomas 
C.  Smith,  the  undertaker,  and  Col.  Babcock,  wrho  put  the  lead 
lining  in  the  coffin,  all  distinctly  recognized  the  features  as- 
those  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

When  the  thieves  visited  the  National  Lincoln  Monument, 
on  the  evening  of  November  7,  1876,  for  the  purpose  of  steal- 
ing the  body  of  President  Lincoln,  concealing  and  holding  it 
until  they  could  extort  a  ransom  of  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  from  the  people  of  the  United  States  of  America,  they 
found  the  marble  sarcophagus  containing  his  body,  as 
seen  in  the  engraving  of  the  sarcophagus  restored.  The 
sarcophagus  is  inside  the  catacomb,  a  room  at  the  north  end 
of  the  monument.  The  catacomb  is  in  the  form  of  the  exact 
half  of  a  circle  twenty-four  feet  in  diameter.  The  door  from 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  77 

which  this  view  is  taken,  is  in  the  centre  of  the  outer  circle. 
As  will  he  seen,  the  end  of  the  sarcophagus  bears  the  word 
"LINCOLN,"  in  large,  raised  letters  surrounded  by  an  oaken 
wreath,  and  outside  of  that  a  quotation  from  his  last  in- 
augural address,  "With  malice  towards  none,  with  charity 
for  all,"  the  whole  raised  in  the  marble.  Another  engraving 
shows  the  sarcophagus  as  the  thieves  left  it,  looking  at  it  from 
the  same  point  in  the  door  of  the  catacomb.  Everything  was 
permitted  to  remain  as  the  thieves  left  it  from  the  night  of 
November  7th  until  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  November 
9th.  In  the  forenoon  of  that  day  the  writer  went  to  Hon 
John  T.  Stuart,  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  and  former  law 
partner  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  to  ascertain  what  was  to  be  done 
about  repairing  the  damage  done  by  the  vandals.  Mr.  Stuart 
said  he  would  send  men  out,  and  wished  me,  as  Custodian  of 
the  Monument,  to  co-operate  with  whoever  came  to  do  the 
work.  Late  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Adam  Johnston,  then  a 
marble  dealer  in  Springfield  for  more  than  tirty-five  years, 
and  one  of  its  most  respected  business  men  and  citizens,  came 
out  with  two  workmen.  The  coffin  is  made  of  narrow  strips 
of  red  cedar,  on  a  frame  work  of  wood,  and  put  together 
with  brass  screws  from  the  outside.  The  first  thing  we  did 
was  to  examine  those  screws,  and  finding  the  creases  in  each 
and  every  one  of  them  filled  with  rust  or  verdigris,  we  ac- 
cepted that  as  conclusive  evidence  that  the  thieves  did  not 
get  any  nearer  the  body  than  the  wood  coffin,  and  that  the 
lead  on  inside  of  that  had  never  been  broken.  Then  we  put 
all  back  in  the  marble  sarcophagus,  closed  and  cemented  it 
just  as  the  thieves  found  it  on  the  Tuesday  evening  before. 
Mr.  Johnston  and  myself  were  the  only  ones  present  who 
paid  any  attention  to  the  condition  of  the  coffin  and  sarco- 
phagus. His  two  wrorkmen  seemed  to  understand  the  English 
language  imperfectly,  and  simply  did  what  they  were  told  to 
do,  without  asking  any  questions.  There  were  none  of  the 
members  of  the  Monument  Association  present. 

Six  days  later,  Wednesday,  November  15,  1876,  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart  came  to  the  Monument  and  told  the  writer  that  he 
could  not  sleep  for  thinking  how  unsafe  it  was  for  the  remains 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  to  be  thus  exposed,  that  the  executive  com- 
mittee had  determined  to  make  a  change,  that  Mr.  Adam 


78  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL   THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN".. 

Johnston  would  come  again  with  his  workmen,  and  that  he 
desired  me  to  co-operate  with  him  again.  Mr.  Johnston  came 
with  the  same  workmen,  late  in  the  afternoon,  opened  the 
sarcophagus,  drew  the  coffin  out,  lay  it  in  the  north  west. 
curve  of  the  wall  of  the  catacomb,  so  close  to  the  wall  that 
it  could  not  be  seen  from  the  outside  door,  and  closed  the 
sarcophagus  again,  cementing  all  the  joints.  Mr.  Johnston, 
dismissed  his  assistants,  and  in  a  short  time  went  away  him- 
self. It  so  happened  that  on  both  occasions  when  the  work- 
men were  engaged  on  the  sarcophagus,  there  was  not  a  visi- 
tor appeared,  and  if  there  had  been  it  would  have  made  but 
little  difference,  for  there  was  a  rule  then  not  to  admit  visi- 
tors inside  the  catacomb.  The  thought  did  not  occur  to  the 
Custodian,  during  the  two  days  that  everything'  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  as  the  thieves  left  them,  nor  at  the  subse- 
quent opening  of  the  sarcophagus  to  have  a  photograph 
taken  of  the  situation.  The  engraving  of  the  broken  sarco- 
phagus was  copied  from  a  drawing,  made  by  an  architect, 
from  what  he  coilld  see  and  from  descriptions  given  him.  It 
was  certified  to  as  essentially  correct  by  several  citizens  who 
saw  the  wreck. 

At  nightfall,  according  to  previous  arrangement,  Mr.  John- 
ston returned,  and  the  three  members  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Colonel  John  Williams  and 
Jacob  Bunn,  arrived  about  the  same  time.  The  Custodian, 
in  anticipation  of  their  coming,  remained  in  waiting.  We  five 
then  carried  the  coffin  from  the  catacomb,  around  the  east 
side  of  the  monument,  to  Memorial  Hall,  and  deposited  it  on 
some  timbers  inside  near  the  base  of  the  obelisk,  at  the  point 
marked  A,  in  the  Ground  Plan. 

Arrangements  were  made  by  the  Executive  Committee  with 
Mr.  Johnston  to  have  a  box  made  to  enclose  the  coffin,  and 
that  he  and  the  Custodian  were  to  put  the  coffin  in  the  box 
and  bury  all.  He  brought  the  box  in  pieces,  so  as  to  avoid 
observation,  put  it  together  inside  the  Monument,  and  by 
laying  it  on  the  side,  we  were  able  to  work  the  coffin  into  it, 
turn  it  on  its  back  and  put  on  the  lid.  This  for  two  men, 
was  a  laborious  operation,  for  there  was  so  much  and  such 
thick  lead  used  in  making  the  lining  or  inside  coffin,  that  the 
weight  is  about  500  pounds.  The  Custodian  relieved  Mr. 
Johnston  from  further  assisting  him,  and  undertook  to  bury 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL,  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  79 

it  alone.  It  was  a  most  villainous  atmosphere  to  breathe, 
for  in  the  original  construction  there  was  no  provision  made 
for  ventilation.  Pieces  of  scantling  and  plank  left  in  there 
when  the  monument  was  enclosed  not  more  than  seven  or 
eight  years  before,  were  so  completely  decayed  that  it  could 
be  crumbled  to  dust  between  the  fingers. 

The  Custodian  spent  many  hours  and  half  hours  digging, 
and  when  he  would  hear  steps  on  the  terrace  overhead  would 
extinguish  lights,  go  out,  give  whatever  attention  might  be 
required  from  visitors,  and  return  to  the  work,  for  he  had 
not  then  any  assistant,  and  it  would  not  do  to  trust  a  chance 
laborer  he  might  have  on  the  grounds.  The  entire  locality 
proved  to  have  been  saturated  with  water  from  leakage  in 
the  terrace,  and  without  the  slightest  opportunity  for  ventil- 
ation. With  the  increasing  depth  it  grew  worse,  and  the 
terrace  was  leaking  at  every  rain.  The  Custodian  reported 
the  situation  to  Mr.  Stuart,  who  suggested  that  the  coffin  be 
permitted  to  remain  on  the  timbers  where  it  was,  and  covered 
with  plank,  which  was  done.  That  was  in  the  latter  part  of 
November,  or  early  in  December,  1876.  The  Custodian  re- 
garded that  as  only  a  temporary  disposal  of  the  matter,  and 
fully  expected  to  have  further  orders  with  reference  to  it  in  a 
short  time.  The  following  from  the  only  two  members  of 
the  Executive  Committee  now  living,  and  from  the  man 
employed  to  do  the  work,  speaks  for  itself: 

"We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  annexed,  do  hereby  certify 
that  the  parts  we  each  individually  acted  in  the  removal  of 
the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  late  President  of  the  United 
States,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  greater  safety,  are  truly 
set  forth  in  the  preceding  statement. 

"JOHN  WILLIAMS, 
"JACOB  BUNN, 

"Executive  Committee. 
"A.  JOHNSTON." 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1877,  the  infantry  and 
naval  groups  of  statuary  were  placed  on  the  monument.  The 
man  who  superintended  that  work  was  employed  to  take 
down  and  rebuild  the  outer  walls  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  terrace,  and  at  some  other  points.  In  doing  the  latter 
work  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  go  inside,  under  the  terrace, 


80  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 

near  where  the  coffin  lay.  The  Custodian  had  in  his  own 
employ,  temporarily,  with  the  consent  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, a  man  to  assist  him  part  of  each  day,  in  order  that  he 
might  complete  some  literary  work  commenced  before  he  took 
charge  of  the  Monument.  He  furnished  this  assistant  with  a 
key  to  the  back  door  of  Memorial  Hall,  that  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  work  might  be  admitted  during  his  absence.  He 
knew  that  those  two  men  would  be  almost  certain  to  discover 
the  coffin,  and  he  did  not  think  it  would  be  prudent  to  let 
them  do  so  accidentally.  After  appealing  to  their  honor,  and 
receiving  a  pledge  of  secrecy  from  each,  in  a  way  that  one 
with  the  smallest  particle  of  manhood  would  have  respected 
if  it  had  cost  him  his  right  arm,  the  Custodian  took  them  to 
it.  In  less  than  forty-eight  hours  he  heard  enough,  through 
them,  down  in  the  city,  to  convince  him  that  his  confidence 
had  been  betrayed  by  each  of  them  in  a  half-suppressed  way. 
In  utter  mortification  and  chagrin,  he  reported  the  facts  to 
Maj.  John  T.  Stuart,  and  asked  for  instructions.  Mr.  Stuart 
said  that  the  weather  was  so  hot  and  the  atmosphere  in  there 
was  so  bad  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  members  of 
the  Association,  all  elderly  men,  to  do  anything  then,  and 
there  were  no  instructions  given.  The  Custodian  thought  it 
better  to  ignore  the  treachery  of  the  man  assisting  him  than 
to  openly  charge  him  with  it,  and  thereby  make  it  more 
public.  Perhaps  it  is  owing  to  that  fact  that  it  never  found 
its  way  into  the  newspapers  from  that  source. 

The  body  of  the  great  merchant,  A.  T.  Stewart,  of  New  York 
city  was  stolen  from  its  tomb,  between  nine  o'clock  on  the 
evening  of  November  six,  and  daylight  on  the  morning  of 
November  seventh,  1878;  within  twenty-four  hours  of  two 
years  from  the  time  the  attempt  had  been  made  to  capture 
the  remains  of  President  Lincoln.  On  hearing  the  news  of  the 
success  of  the  thieves  in  the  Stewart  case,  all  minds  involun- 
tarily turned  to  the  tomb  of  Lincoln,  and  the  question  came 
from  every  tongue,  is  the  body  of  Lincoln  safe?  Will  there 
be  another  attempt  to  steal  it? 

On  the  first  day  of  November,  1879,  the  evidence  came  to 
the  Custodian  unsought,  that  beyond  a  doubt  the  man  who, 
while  acting  as  his  assistant,  had  so  shamefully  betrayed  the 
secret  as  to  where  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln  were  con- 
cealed, had  been  systematically  stealing,  both  of  the  funds 


ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF   LINCOLN.  81 

•collected  for  the  admittance  of  visitors, 'and  of  what  he  had 
received  from  sales  of  books  and  pictures  for  the  Custodian. 
Instead  of  dismissing  him  in  a  summary  manner,  the  Custo- 
dian was  quietly  arranging  Ms  business  so  as  to  do  without 
#n  assistant,  and  was  nearly  ready  when  the  news  came  that 
the  body  of  A.  T.  Stewart  had  been  stolen  and  held  for  a 
ransom;  and  this  villain  was  still  in  possession  of  the  secret 
with  regard  to  Lincoln's  body,  for  there  had  not  been  any 
change  in  the  situation.  His  feelings  may  be  imagined. 
There  was  one  man  only  to  whom  he  felt  at  liberty  to  speak 
on  the  subject,  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart.  When  he  was  unable 
longer  to  bear  the  suspense,  he  went  to  Mr.  Stuart  and  laid 
the  facts  before  him,  and  implored  him  to  do  something,  ex- 
pecting that  he  would  summon  the  other  members  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee,  and  a  sufficient  number  of  the  members 
of  the  Monument  Association,  to  make  all  safe.  Mr.  Stuart 
reminded  the  Custodian  of  that  which  he  already  knew,  namely : 
that  what  Mr.  Stuart  had  done  before  in  the  first  removal  of 
the  body,  had  disabled  him  and  made  it  difficult  for  him  to 
get  about  for  months;  and  that  the  other  members  of  the 
Association  were  many  of  them  nearly  as  old  as  himself. 

Mr.  Stuart  then  placed  the  entire  responsibility  in  his  hands, 
by  saying  that  he  must  select  men  whom  he  could  trust,  and 
have  them  assist  in  making  all  secure.  The  Custodian  had 
before  that  sustained  such  relations  to  MajorGustavus  S.Dana 
and  Gen.  Jasper  N.  Reece,  as  suggested  to  his  mind  that  they 
were  the  right  ones  to  begin  with;  he  immediately  called  upon 
them  and  made  a  statement  of  the  situation.  The  three  at 
once  invited  Joseph  P.  Lindley,  Edward  S.  Johnson  and 
James  F.  McNeill  to  join  them.  All  six  agreed  to  meet  at  the 
corner  of  Monroe  and  Fifth  streets  at  eight  o'clock  that 
evening,  and  take  the  Fifth  street  cars  for  the  Monument. 
The  Custodian  had  made  all  necessary  preparations  in  the 
way  of  lamps,  spades,  shovels,  rollers,  and  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  two-inch  plank  to  bridge  the  chasms  between  the  foun- 
dation walls,  which  were  in  some  places  from  three  to  five 
feet  deep,  though  they,  are  now  all  filled  up  to  a  level  with 
the  ground  outside.  They  moved  the  coffin  with  its  contents 
to  the  point  marked  B,  in  the  ground  plan,  dug  a  receptacle 
of  sufficient  depth  to  receive  the  coffin  and  box,  and  admit  of 
several  inches  of  earth  over  all.  The  cramped  space  in  which 


82  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

the  work  was  done,  and  the  bad  atmosphere,  made  it  very 
laborious.  It  was  about  twelve  o'clock,  midnight,  when  we- 
got  the  coffin  and  box  in  the  receptacle,  and  all  were  so  tired, 
that  the  Custodian  volunteered  to  relieve  the  others  by  agree- 
ing that  the  next  morning  he  would  fill  up  the  cavity,  and 
remove  all  traces  of  their  work.  When  Mr.  Dana  returned  to 
his  store,  very  late  that  night,  he  made  a  hasty  diagram  of 
the  spot  where  the  body  was,  and  its  surroundings,  and  wrote 
the  following: 

"SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Nov.  18,  1878. 

"By  request  of  the  Custodian,  J.  C.  Power,  and  in  view  of 
the  late  stealing  of  the  remains  of  A.  T.  Stewart,  now  held 
for  a  reward,  and  the  attempted  stealing  of  the  remains  of 
our  honored  late  Commander-in-Chief,  J.  C.  Power,  Jasper  N. 
Reece,  Joseph  P.  Lindley,  Edward  S.  Johnson,  James  F.  Mc- 
Neill  and  myself,  did  this  night  remove  the  remains  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  from  the  place  they  had  been  secreted  since  the 
attempt  to  steal  them,  to  a  place  of  greater  safety,  and 
buried  them  about  six  inches  deeper  than  the  depth  of  the 
case.  They  were  taken  from  the  place  marked  A  and  buried 
at  the  place  marked  B,  ground  plan.  This  memorandum  is 
made  by  me  at  the  suggestion  of  one  of  our  number,  that  if 
we  were  all  taken  away  no  one  would  know  where  the  re- 
mains were,  and  some  one  opening  the  sarcophagus  and  find- 
ing it  vacant,  might  raise  a  hue  and  cry  that  this  would 
avoid.  If  this  comes  into  the  hands  of  any  person  other  than 
one  of  those  named  above,  let  that  person  consider  it  as 
sacred  as  though  the  secret  had  been  confided  to  him  pur- 
posely, and  at  once  place  it  in  the  hands  of  one  of  those 
above  named,  commencing  with  the  first  and  follow  through 
the  list,  but  if  all  are  dead,  place  it  in  the  hands  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  of  Illinois." 

"GUSTAVUS  S.  DANA." 

The  names  of  those  Mr.  Dana  wished  it  delivered  to  were 
written  on  the  back  of  the  envelope  in  the  following  order: 
J.  C.  Power,  J.  N.  Reece,  J.  P.  Lindley,  E.  S.  Johnson  and 
J.  F.  McNeill.  Mr.  Dana  sealed  the  package  and  put  it  in 
his  safe. 

The  morning  of  November  19,  1878,  found  the  city  over- 
flowing with  visitors,  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred  dele- 
gates, and  visiting  brethren,  making  a  total  of  at  least  one 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  83 

thousand  in  attendance  on  the  Illinois  State  Grand  Lodge  of 
Odd  Fellows,  which  was  to  convene  that  morning  in  the 
Capitol.  The  Custodian  found  them  in  large  numbers  at  the 
monument  early  in  the  morning1,  waiting-  for  admittance.  Not 
having  any  person  to  take  the  place  of  his  treacherous  assis- 
tant, he  could  not  give  any  attention  to  his  mail  matter. 
That  day,  the  20th  and  21st  of  the  month,  he  was  almost, 
overwhelmed  with  visitors  from  daylight  until  dark.  Among 
his  letters  he  received  a  postal  card  on  the  morning  of  the 
21st,  and  thrust  all  into  an  outside  pocket.  After  a  most 
laborious  day  at  the  monument,  until  it  was  too  late  to  show 
visitors  around,  he  went  down  into  the  city,  two  miles,  by 
street  car,  attended  to  some  business  matters,  and  returned 
home,  near  the  monument,  exceedingly  tired.  As  the  last  thing: 
before  retiring,  he  commenced  a  hasty  look  at  his  mail  mat- 
ter which  had  accumulated.  His  surprise  may  be  imagined! 
when  on  looking  at  the  card  he  had  thrust  with  other  mat- 
ter, unread,  in  his  pocket  in  the  morning,  he  found  it  post- 
marked "Chicago,  Nov.  18 — 11  A.  M.,"  and  addressed,  "J.  C. 
Power,  Esq.,  Custodian  Lincoln  Monument,  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois." On  the  other  side  was  the  message: 

"Be  careful.  Do  not  be  alone,  particularly  Thursday  night, 
Nov.  21st. 

"Nov.  18,  '78.  C:" 

This  \vas  the  night,  and  it  was  now  10  o'clock.  It  was 
quite  dark,  and  he  had  been  out  all  the  evening.  If  there 
was  any'  danger,  he  had  already  unconsciously  taken  the  risk, 
with  the  warning  in  his  pocket.  It  was  a  physical  impossi- 
bility for  him  to  do  anything  that  night.  He  thought  of 
the  cavity  with  Lincoln's  coffined  remains  in  it  uncovered, 
for  he  had  been  utterly  unable  to  so  much  as  go  in  where  it 
was.  But  little  sleep  came  to  his  eyes  that  night.  With  the 
dawn  of  the  morning  he  was  at  the  monument.  All  was  safe 
He  breathed  more  freely.  Is  there  real  danger?  Is  there 
another  scheme  to  capture  the  remains  of  Lincoln?  Or  is 
some  one  trying  to  play  a  joke  he  can  never  enjoy  except  in 
silence?  These  were  some  of  the  questions  that  naturally  pre- 
sented themselves.  He  has  never  had  a  solution  of  them, 
and  never  expects  to. 

Having  satisfied  himself  that  all  was  safe,  the  Custodian- 
left  the  visitors  to  look  out  for  themselves,  hastened  to  Dana 


84  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

and  Keece,  and  informed  them  of  the  anonymous  card  of 
warning,  and  that  in  consequence  of  his  being  alone,  and  so 
many  strangers  in  the  city,  he  had  not  found  time  or  oppor- 
tunity to  cover  the  coffin  as  he  agreed  to,  and  asked  them 
to  see  the  other  gentlemen  who  had  assisted  on  the  night  of 
the  eighteenth,  and  ask  them  to  come  again,  as  it  would 
be  too  hazardous  to  let  another  night  pass  without  remov- 
ing all  evidence  of  where  the  remains  of  the  President  lay. 
Lindley  was  not  in  the  city,  and  Johnson  and  McXeill  were 
so  engaged  that  neither  of  them  could  possibly  come.  Dana 
and  Keece,  both  leaving  their  everyday  business,  all  the  more 
pressing  because  of  the  great  influx  of  strangers  in  the  city, 
appeared  in  the  afternoon,  and  finding  the  Custodian  still 
busy  waiting  upon  visitors,  whom  to  attempt  to  put  off  with- 
out a  reason  would  have  given  great  offense,  and  to  have 
given  a  reason  would  have  exposed  that  which,  above  all 
things,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  keep  secret;  they  mag- 
nanimously excused  the  Custodian,  and  in  the  stifling  atmos- 
phere labored  until  everything  was  absolutely  secure.  They 
left  all  the  approaches  to  the  remains  in  such  a  condition 
that  if  any  intruder  should  ever  reach  the  spot,  he  could 
harm  nothing,  and  the  fact  of  his  having  been  there  could 
easily  be  detected.  On  returning  to  the  city  Mr.  Dana  wrote 
the  following  statement: 

"SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Nov.  22,  1878. 

"At  three  o'clock  P.  M.  to-day,  Gen.  Reece  and  G.  S.  Dana, 
at  the  solicitation  of  J.  C.  Power,  proceeded  to  the  Lincoln 
Monument,  and  covered  the  coffin  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  which 
we  had,  on  the  18th  instant,  buried  as  before  noted,  but  had 
left  unfinished  for  Mr.  Power  to  cover  and  remove  traces. 
He  had  not  had  time,  and  having  received  an  anonymous 
communication  from  Chicago,  warning  him  to  be  careful  and 
not  be  alone,  was  afraid  another  attempt  would  be  made  to 
remove  the  body.  After  having  done  the  work,  and  before 
removing  the  plank  we  had  used  for  bridges  from  wall  to 
wall,  on  making  careful  search  of  the  place,  we  found  in  the 
second  opening,  beyond  that  where  the  body  now  lies,  soft 
earth,  and  traces,  as  we  thought,  of  recent  digging.  Upon 
digging  down  two  spades  depth,  we  found  an  iron  coffin,  and 
were  at  once  impressed  with  the  belief  that  since  the  eighteenth 
instant,  some  one  had  taken  the  body  out  of  the  coffin  and 


ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  85 

buried  it  in  said  place  to  be  removed  at  some  future  time. 
So  to  make  sure,  we  uncovered  the  coffin  we  had  just  buried, 
took  off  the  top  of  the  outer  box,  and  found  the  cedar  coffin 
which  enclosed  the  lead  case  that  the  remains  are  in,  intact, 
no  signs  of  screws  having  been  removed,  and  the  fungus  on 
the  corners  where  it  would  have  been  parted  by  taking  off  the 
cover,  was  intact,  so  we  replaced  the  cover,  and  covered  all 
with  earth  again,  carefully  scraping  the  earth  to  remove  the 
foot-prints,  scattered  bricks  and  debris  over  the  top,  to  look 
as  though  left  that  way  by  the  builders  of  the  monument. 
We  then  moved  all  the  plank  and  pieces  of  wood  from  the 
inner  vaults,  and  that  evening  learned  from  Major  Stuart, 
that  the  iron  coffin  found,  was  one  Lincoln's  body  was  in  be- 
fore placing  it  in  the  lead  receptacle,  but  it  proved  to  be  too 
long  to  go  in  the  marble  sarcophagus." 

"GusTAvus  S.  DANA. 

Mr.  Dana  put  the  preceding  in  an  envelope,  sealed  it,  and 
made  the  same  request  on  the  outside,  as  to  whom  to  deliver 
it,  in  the  event  of  his  death,  that  he  had  on  the  first. 

We  regarded  ourselves  as  being  there  by  authority  from  an 
officer  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  doing- 
work  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  should  be  done,  and 
which  the  members  of  the  Association  were  physically  unable 
to  do.  The  importance  of  keeping  from  the  general  public, 
all  knowledge  of  the  precautions  taken  for  the  safety  of  the 
remains  will  readily  be  admitted.  We  therefore  took  and  gave 
a  solemn  assurance  of,  and  to  each  other,  in  the  early  part 
of  our  proceedings,  to  keep  a  knowledge  of  what  we  were  do- 
ing to  ourselves,  until  there  could  be  no  danger  from  a  reve- 
lation of  them,  always  excepting  the  fact  that  we  were  acting 
in  subordination  to  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  and 
that  what  we  were  doing  should  be  communicated  to  them 
whenever  they  desired  it. 

The  importance  of  being  prepared  to  do  our  work  thor- 
oughly, impressed  itself  on  the  minds  of  the  six  men  who  had, 
in  a  special  sense,  become  the  guardians  of  Lincoln's  remains 
from  vandal  hands.  Our  minds  gradually  crystalized  around 
the  idea  of  a  secret  organization  for  that  purpose.  There  is 
an  old  adage,  that  when  it  is  known  there  is  a  secret,  it  is 
already  half  revealed.  Therefore,  it  would  not  have  been  ad- 
visable to  organize  unless  the  fact  that  there  was  an  organi- 


>"86  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

:zation  for  such  a  purpose  could  be  kept  secret,  or  its  object 
^concealed.  To  accomplish  the  latter  it  became  necessary  to 
put  forward  some  other  than  the  real  reason  for  our  organi- 
zation. The  idea  of  conducting  Memorial  Services  on  the  an- 
niversaries of  his  birth  and  death  were  pleasing  thoughts  to 
us,  and  we  could  publicly  do  that  if  nothing  else.  Our  sym- 
pathies as  a  part  of  the  great  American  people,  our  reverence 
for  his  great  name,  and  more  than  willingness  to  aid  in  keep- 
ing green  the  laurel  wreath  on  the  brow  of  his  fame,  led  us 
to  act  in  concert.  As  the  most  feasible  method  of  putting 
our  thoughts  into  practical  shape,  we  determined  to  organ- 
ize under  legal  forms.  With  this  object  in  view,  the  six  men 
already  named  invited  three  others,  Noble  B.  Wiggins,  Hor- 
ace Chapiu  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  the  three  latter  meeting 
with  the  other  six,  for  the  first  time,  in  order  to  effect  a,n 
organization.  For  an  account  of  the  organization  see  Divi- 
sion Seventh. 

Mrs.  Mary  Todd  Lincoln  died  Sunday  evening,  July  16, 
1882,  at  the  residence  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Ninian  W.  Edwards, 
in  the  house  where  she  had  been  married  Nov.  4,  1842,  to 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Wednesday,  July  19,  1882,  all  the  nine 
members  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  at  the 
catacomb  of  the  Monument.  We  had,  with  others,  aided  in 
making  preparations  for  the  funeral,  under  direction  of  the 
citizens'  committee  of  arrangements,  and  at  the  same  time 
quietly  attended  to  such  things  as  were  likely  to  be  over- 
looked by  others,  especially  in  guarding  the  entrance  to  the 
catacomb,  that  the  magnificent  floral  tributes  might  not  be 
disturbed  or  thoughtlessly  marred  in  any  way.  Each  of  us 
wore  the  badge  of  our  society,  \vhich  led  many  to  suppose 
that  wre  had  charge  of  the  funeral,  which  was  not  the  case. 
The  remains  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  in  a  double  lead-lined,  air-tight 
coffin,  were  deposited  that  day  in  the  crypt  No.  4,  in  the 
catacomb,  but  the  panels  were  only  in  part  put  in. 

Friday,  July  21,  1882,  in  the  forenoon,  Hon.  John  T. 
Stuart,  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  Association,  made  known  to  both  the 
President  and  Secretary  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OP  HONOR, 
that  it  was  the  desire  of  the  Hon.  Robert  T.  Lincoln  that  we 
assemble  in  the  night  time,  take  the  remains  of  his  mother 
out  of  the  crypt  and  deposit  them  beside  the  body  of  his 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  87 

father.  Notice  was  accordingly  given  to  the  members,  and 
that  evening  at  10  o'clock  we  assembled  at  the  monument. 
There  were 

Present — Dana,  Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  McNeill,  Johnson, 
€hapin  and  Conkling. 

Absent — Mr.  Wiggins.  Very  much  to  his  and  our  regret,  he 
was  out  of  the  city,  and  could  not  be  reached  in  time. 

We  took  the  "body  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  out  of  crypt  No.  4,  in 
the  catacomb,  where  it  had  been  placed  two  days  before,  car- 
ried it  around  outside  the  monument,  into  and  through  Me- 
morial Hall,  dug  a  receptacle  for  and  placed  it  by  the  side  of 
the  body  of  her  husband,  at  the  point  marked  B,  in  the 
ground  plan,  leaving  the  earth  over  both  in  such  a  condition 
that  it  would  not  be  suspected  that  anything  was  buried 
there.  The  circumscribed  limits  in  which  we  did  the  work  and 
the  foul  atmosphere,  from  a  total  want  of  ventilation,  which 
we  had  all  endured  a  number  of  times  before,  was  doubly  op- ' 
pressive  in  consequence  of  the  intense  heat  of  the  weather. 
We  completed  the  work  about  2  o'clock  Saturday  morning, 
July  22,  1882.  The  Custodian  had  but  a  short  walk  to  reach 
his  home.  But  when  the  other  seven  started  on  foot  to  their 
homes  from  two  to  three  miles  distant  in  the  city,  it  was  a 
weary  procession,  for  each  one  was  almost  exhausted.  It  was 
especially  trying  to  Captain  Horace  Chapin,  who  had  left  one 
of  his  legs  on  the  battle-field  of  Chickamauga  early  in  the 
war  to  suppress  the  slave-holders'  rebellion. 

Robert  T.  Lincoln,  who  was  then  Secretary  of  War,  was  in- 
formed by  Major  Stuart  that  the  work  of  removal  had  been 
clone  in  compliance  with  his  request.  A  few  days  later  one  of 
our  members  received  the  following  letter  intended  for  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor: 

WASHINGTON,  July  26,  1882. 

CLINTON  L.  CONKLING,  ESQ.: 

Mil  Dear  Friend. — On  my  return  here  I  find  a  letter  from  Major  Stuart  advising 
me  that  you  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  The  Guard  of  Honor,  have  laid  me  under 
.a  great  obligation  by  carrying  out  the  wish  I  expressed  to  him  that  my  mother's 
body  should  be  placed  beside  my  father's,  so  that  there  can  be  no  danger  of  a  spo- 
liation. It  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  know  that  such  an  act  is  now  impossible,  and 
I  think  it  will  be  best  that  no  change  should  be  made  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

I  cannot  adequately  thank  you  and  the  other  gentlemen  for  personally  doing 
this,  so  that  the  object  should  be  fully  attained;  but  I  beg  you  and  them  to  be  as- 
sured that  I  appreciate  the  kind  act.  Believe  me  to  be  sincerely  yours, 

ROBERT  T.  LINCOLN. 


88  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

This  seemed  to  dispel  any  prospect  of  an  early  change,  and 
doubtless  made  the  members  of  the  Monument  Association 
less  solicitous  on  the  subject  than  they  would  otherwise  have 
been. 

Hon.  John  T.  Stuart  died  Nov.  28,  1885.  The  first  draft 
of  this  historical  paper  was  read  to  him  a  short  time  before 
his  death,  in  order  that  he  might  correct  any  errors  it  con- 
tained. In  conversation  with  President  Dana  and  the  Secre- 
tary, at  different  times,  he  pronouced  it  correct,  so  far  as  it 
related  to  his  own  actions. 

On  the  morning  of  February  5,  1884,  the  Custodian  came 
to  the  monument  earlier  than  he  had  done  for  several  weeksr 
because  there  was  a  State  organization  called  "Mutual  Aid," 
to  convene  in  the  capitol  that  day,  and  he  knew,  from  expe- 
rience, that  at  such  times  the  delegates  visited  the  monument 
earlier  than  visitors  usually  do.  The  sun  had  not  risen,  and 
there  was  barely  sufficient  light  for- him  to  see  the  lines  in  the 
register,  and  he  was  writing  the  heading  for  the  day,  when 
he  heard  a  tremendous  crash.  Hastily  lighting  a  lamp,  he 
went  through  the  back  door  of  Memorial  Hall,  and  found 
that  a  brick  arch  seventy  feet  long,  spanning  the  five  and  a. 
half  feet  space  between  the  outer  wall  on  the  east  side  and 
the  next  one  to  it  on  the  inside,  had  fallen,  except  about  ten 
feet  at  each  end,  leaving  the  heavy  flag-stones  that  form  the 
terrace  without  any  visible  support  at  the  outer  wall.  A  child 
walking  on  it  would  have  taken  all  down,  and  yet  it  did  not 
move.  Fearing  that  some  visitors  would  come  and  get  on  it 
before  supports  could  be  put  under,  he  hastened  to  carry 
lumber  and  used  the  pieces  for  barriers  to  keep  any  person 
from  going  on  the  weak  place.  He  had  labored  with  all  his 
strength  for  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  when  a  car  on 
the  Citizens'  Street  Railway  landed  twelve  or  thirteen  of  the 
expected  delegates  at  the  monument.  The  Custodian  is  fully 
convinced  that  if  he  had  been  three  minutes  later  getting  to 
the  monument  he  would  not  have  heard  the  crash,  and  would 
have  led  those  men  exactly  on  that  weak  spot,  and  they 
would  all  have  gone  down  with  him  into  a  chasm  fifty  feet 
long,  five  and  a  half  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  deep,  where 
they  would  have  been  crushed  and  mangled  by  those  great 
flag-stones,  and  many  of  us  would  have  met  instant  death. 
1  never  think  of  the  events  of  that  morning  without  a  feeling 


ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  89 

of  astonishment  that  the  people  of  our  State  do  not  demand 
legislation  holding  any  and  all  architects,  contractors,  and 
superintendents  guilty  of  man-slaughter  who,  through  igno- 
rance, incompetence  or  greed  of  gain,  constructs  a  building 
that  falls  and  causes  loss  of  human  life. 

In  reconstructing  the  work  during  the  summer  ^  of  1884,  it 
was  determined  to  remedy  the  defect  in  the  ventilation.  In  or- 
der to  do  this,  it  was  necessary  to  cut  an  opening  in  the 
three  feet  and  a  half  brick  wall  between  the  point  marked  B, 
in  the  ground  plan,  and  the  foundation  of  the  obelisk.  That 
made  a  convenient  thoroughfare  for  the  workmen,  and  dur- 
ing all  that  summer  they  were  every  day  walking  over  the 
dead  bodies  of  President  Lincoln  and  his  wife.  To  have  said 
anything  against  it,  or  to  have  put  a  barrier  in  the  way, 
would  have  been  a  hint  that  might  have  been  caught  up 
by  some  unprincipled  workman,  while  it  was  all  open,  and 
would  have  led  to  consequences  that  it  would  not  be  pleasant 
to  contemplate.  Therefore  the  desecration  was  permitted  by 
the  Custodian  to  go  on  without  protest. 

There  are  few  men  and  women  who  have  not  at  some  time 
been  called  upon  to  keep  a  secret  already  half  revealed,  or 
subsequently  revealed  by  the  party  or  parties  interested, 
without  first  absolving  them  from  the  obligation  of  secrecy, 
who  does  not  know  how  awkward  the  position  is.  But  that 
is  nothing  compared  with  having  to  do  that  many  times  a 
day  for  weeks  and  months  and  years,  as  the  Custodian  of  the 
Lincoln  Monument  has  done,  and  during  the  whole  of  that 
time  he  has  been  abused  unmercifully  because  he  would  not 
permit  himself  to  be  catechised  by  every  upstart  who  repre- 
sented himself  as  a  reporter  for  the  press.  This,  too,  when 
secrecy  was  the  only  protection  against  a  repetition  of  the 
attempt  to  steal  the  body. 

There  has  not  a  day  passed  but  he  has  been  called  upon  to 
parry  the  prying  questions  of  one  or  more  who  have  had  a  , 
hint  before  coming  that  the  body  was  not  in  the  sarcophagus. 
To  all  such  he  has  invariably  said:  "We  put  it  back  there- 
the  second  day  after  the  attempt  to  steal  it,"  which  is  strictly 
true.  If  they  questioned  further  he  would  say,  "I  suppose 
you  wish  to  know  if  there  is  not  further  danger,  if  so,  I 
can  assure  you  that  it  is  absolutely  safe."  To  any  further 
—6 


90  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

-questions  he  would  say:  "If  I  was  to  explain  what  precau- 
tions have  been  taken  to  make  it  safe,  it  would  not  be  so 
any  longer,  and  I  would  prove  myself  unworthy  of  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  me."  There  he  was  accustomed  to  dismiss 
the  subject,  and  visitors  were  generally  satisfied,  but  whether 
they  were  or  not,  he  would  stop  and  let  them  do  the  talking. 
This  in  substance  was  to  do  over  and  over  for  years,  and 
the  Custodian  NEVER  IN  A  SINGLE  INSTANCE  PERMITTED  HIMSELF 

TO  BE   BETRAYED  INTO   SAYING   THAT   THE   BODY  OF   MR.   LINCOLN 

WAS  IN  THE  SARCOPHAGUS  WHEN  IT  WAS  NOT,  nor  that  the  body 
of  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  in  the  crypt  where  the  people  saw  it 
deposited,  after  it  was  removed  inside  the  monument. 

The  undignified  position  occupied  by  the  remains  of  the 
most  beloved  ruler  any  nation  ever  had,  and  the  obligations 
the  Custodian  felt  resting  upon  him  to  treat  as  a  secret  that 
which  was  practically  open,  although  the  exact  truth  was 
not  revealed,  has  unnecessarily  added  to  his  labors  and  re- 
sponsibilities. He  hoped  that  the  Monument  Association 
would  inaugurate  measures  to  have  a  steel  casket  made  so 
hard  and  strong  and  ponderous  that  it  could  not  be  broken 
nor  removed,  without  exposing  the  vandals  to  detection  and 
capture,  who  might  attempt  to  rob  it.  The  thought  that 
himself  and  those  who  had  so  unselfishly  and  with  such  arduous 
toil  cooperated  with  him  in  protecting  the  remains,  from 
further  desecration,  might  pass  away  and  leave  all  knowledge 
of  their  labors  in  a  chaotic  state,  to  be  written  up  with  all 
manner  of  absurd  statements,  by  parties  who  could  not  know 
the  truth,  was  so  repugnant  to  his  feelings  that  he  became 
persistent  in  his  pleadings  that  something  should  be  done  to 
preserve  a  truthful  history  while  the  parties  were  all  living, 
who  alone  could  give  it.  He  knew  that  the  treasury  of  the 
Monument  Association  was  without  funds  and  that  nothing 

o 

could  be  done  that  involved  any  considerable  outlay  of 
money. 

Hon.  Lincoln  Dubois,  knowing  the  feeling  of  the  Custodian, 
and  to  some  extent  entertaining  similar  views,  made  the 
first  move  towards  accomplishing  the  object  desired.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  may  12,  1886, 
he  offered  a  resolution  which  was  adopted,  that  "The  Executive 
Committee  is  instructed  to  cause  the  remains  of  Mr.  Lincoln 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  91 

~to  be  definitely  and    finally  deposited    within  the    monument 
as  they  may  designate." 

The  summer  and  autumn  passed  without  anything  being 
done.  In  order  that  something  practical  might  be  done 
before  another  summer,  the  Custodian  conversed  with  some 
of  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  as  to  how  it 
should  be  accomplished.  It  was  determined  to  bury  the 
body  of  Mr.  Lincoln  inside  the  Catacomb,  exactly  in  the 
centre,  with  head  towards  the  south,  directly  under  where 
the  sarcophagus  had  stood  for  years  and  probably  will  stand 
much  longer;  the  body  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  to  be  at  the  east 
side  of  her  husband,  the  receptacle  to  be  sufficiently  large  to 
receive  both,  with  the  outside  enclosures  containing  them. 
The  Custodian  next  consulted  a  builder  and  received  the 
following : 

"SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Feb.  8,  1887. 
'"Mr.  J.  C.  Power,  Custodian  Lincoln  Monument  : 

"DEAR  SIR:  I  will  excavate  a  pit  at  the  monument  five  feet 
wide,  seven  and  a  half  feet  long  and  six  feet  deep,  wall  around 
same,  with  an  eighteen-inch  wall  of  hard-burned  brick  laid  in 
good  cement  mortar,  concrete  between  the  walls,  so  as  to  fill 
the  pit  with  a  solid  mass.  Take  up  and  relay  floor  over  the 
same  and  remove  all  rubbish  made  by  said  work  for  the  sum 

of dollars.  Yours,  etc., 

Jos.  O.  IRWIN. 

The  following  endorsement  was  written  upon  it,  and  a  ver- 
bal order  given  the  Custodian  to  have  the  work  done: 

"We,  the  undersigned,  approve  of  this  work. 

"GEO.  N.  BLACK, 
"JOHN  WILLIAMS, 
"C.  C.  BROWN, 
"JAMES  C.  CONKLING, 
"JOHN  W.  BUNN. 

*"Executive  Committee  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association." 


*  It  is  proper  to  note  the  fact  that  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association 
was  reorganized  May  9, 1885,  and  the  name  changed  to  the  Lincoln  Monument 
Association.  The  Executive  Committee  has  but  one  member— Col.  John  Williams 
—who  was  in  it  when  the  attempt  was  made  to  steal  the  body. 


92  ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL  THE  BODY   OF  LINCOLN. 

Ground  was  broken  Monday  morning,  April  11,  1887,  and 
by  mutual  agreement  the  Custodian  of  the  monument,  being 
also  secretary  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  was  instructed 
to  notify  all  the  members  of  both  societies  to  meet  at  the 
monument  at  9  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  14,  1887,  to 
witness  the  exhuming  and  reburial  of  the  bodies  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  his  wife,  Mary  Todd  Lincoln.  It  was  not  neces- 
sary to  write  notices  to  the  members  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  for  it  was  at  a  meeting  when  all  the  members,  except 
those  who  were  out  of  the  State,  were  present,  that  the 
arrangements  were  made ;  but  to  each  of  the  members  of  the 
Lincoln  Monument  Association,  a  note  was-  sent,  on  Tuesday  r 
the  12th,  stating  the  day  and  hour  when  the  removal  would 
take  place.  The  whole  tenor  of  the  note  indicated  that  it  waa 
expected  to  be  strictly  private  and  confidential.  On  the 
morning  of  the  14th,  an  article  appeared  in  one  of  our  city 
papers  revealing  the  fact  that  a  clue  had  been  obtained. 
Speaking  of  what,  until  then,  was  merely  guessed  at  as  a 
secret  burial,  the  writer  says:  "This  mystery  is  now  about 
to  be  removed.  The  Lincoln  Memorial  Association, — meaning 
The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,— a  local  organization,  which 
has  for  some  years  held  appropriate  services  on  the  fifteenth 
of  April,  annually,  will  make  the  whole  matter  public  at  th& 
services  to  occur  Friday,  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
This  organization  is  ostensibly  formed  for  holding  these  annual 
observances,  but  in  fact  it  has  been  devoted  to  the  security 
of  the  martyr's  remains,'  and  the  members  have  been  bound 
together  by  oath,  to  keep  their  knowledge  in  regard  to  their 
resting  place  a  profound  secret.  For  some  days  they  have 
been  preparing  to  remove  the  remains  from  the  place  where 
they  have  lain  for  some  years,  and  to  remove  all  the  secrecy 
in  regard  to  the  matter.  The  final  preparations  were  com- 
pleted yesterday  afternoon  and  the  removal  will  occur  this 
morning.  The  utmost  privacy  has  been  observed  regarding^ 
all  the  preparations,  and  onh-  this  general  outline  of  the  facts 
is  ascertainable."  The  article  further  stated  that  a  written 
article  was  prepared,  to  be  read  as  part  of  the  memorial  ser- 
vice on  Friday,  "giving  a  full  history  of  the  keeping  of  the 
remains  and  the  society's  relation  to  the  trust.  The  mem- 
bers are  desirous  of  putting  the  public  in  possession  of  the 
exact  facts,  and  leaving  the  matter  in  such  shape  that 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  93 

there  shall  be  no  longer  any  mystery  or  secrecy  in  regard  to 
it.  But  until  the  removal  of  the  remains  is  consummated  and 
all  the  projected  plans  carried  in  full,  they  decline  to  converse 
about  it." 

It  was  somewhat  embarrassing  to  the  members  of  The  Lin- 
coln Guard  of  Honor  to  have  the  hour  agreed  upon  for  the 
removal  made  public  before  hand,  because  our  work  for  more 
than  nine  years  had  been  done  with  the  most  profound 
secrecy  on  our  part,  although  we  were  never  bound  by  any 
oath,  but  something  much  stronger — our  own  sense  of  honor 
— for  to  a  man  who  will  not  be  bound  by  that,  an  oath  is  a 
mere  cord  of  sand.  Any  considerable  number  who  might  be 
drawn  together  out  of  curiosity,  would  make  it  more  difficult 
to  do  the  work.  Fortunately,  the  article  in  which  the  hour 
was  mentioned,  attracted  scarcely  any  attention;  and  we  wrere 
but  little  annoyed  by  additional  numbers.  We  succeeded  in 
withholding  from  the  press  next  morning,  the  certificates  of 
identification  made  that  day,  in  order  to  have  them  appear 
as  part  of  the  historical  and  descriptive  sketch  to  be  read  in 
our  eighth  memorial  service  in  the  afternoon.  We  felt  further 
chagrin,  i;hat  on  the  morning  of  the  fifteenth,  still  more  of 
the  details  were  given  in  the  same  paper,  with  the  notice  sent 
out  on  the  twelfth  by  the  Secretary  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  to  each  of  the  members  of  the  Lincoln  Monument 
Association.  The  following  is  an  exact  copy: 

DEAR  EIE: — Nine  o'clock  Thursday  morning,  April  14th,  has  been  designated  by 
the  Executive  Committee  as  the  time  for  exhuming  the  remains  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lincoln  for  reburial.  Please  be  at  the  monument  at  that  time.  It  is  thought  best 
that  it  be  strictly  private.  Do  not,  on  any  account,  let  a  reporter  know  it. 

J.  C.  POWEB. 

When  that  notice  was  sent  out,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor 
practically  lost  control  of  all  secrecy  in  the  matter,  and  to 
this  day  not  a  member  of  the  organization  knows  howr  the 
paper  that  published  the  hour  of  removal  and  the  notice  to 
the  Monument  Association,  obtained  its  information.  In 
order  that  that  and  all  other  papers  should  stand  upon  equal 
footing  in  regard  to  the  news,  they  completed  a  written  state- 
ment to  be  read  as  part  of  the  memorial  service,  and  had 
fifty  copies  printed.  It  contained  twenty-four  pages  and  three 
engravings.  A  synopsis  only  of  it  could  be  read  at  the 
memorial  service,  but  a  printed  copy  was  given  or  sent  to 


94  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.. 

each  reporter  of  a  city  paper,  and  to  all  reporters  for  metro- 
politan papers  in  the  city,  who  were  known.  This  was  done 
especially  for  the  reporters,  and  but  for  them  it  would  not 
have  been  .printed.  Any  intelligent  reporter  could  have  taken 
that  pamphlet,  given  every  item  of  interest  in- the  immediate 
history,  and  described  from  the  engravings  every  locality,  so 
as  to  have  made  it  intelligible  to  any  ordinary  reader.  It  is 
doubtful  if  so  much  was  ever  done,  in  a  similar  case,  to  give 
reporters  the  exact  truth  and  to  treat  all  with  absolute  fair- 
ness. Certainly  such  efforts  were  never  rewarded  with  more 
shameful  abuse.  Certain  ones  of  them,  not  all,  affected  to 
believe  that  special  favors  had  been  extended  to  the  paper 
that  was  ahead  of  them  in  the  news,  and  without  a  particle 
of  evidence  that  they  were  right,  treated  us  accordingly.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  for  the  honor  and  good  name  of  Springfield, 
that  they  are  now  ashamed  of  themselves,  for  all  who  love 
honorable  fair  dealing  must  be  ashamed  for  them. 

At  the  hour  appointed  there  were  present  seven  members  of 
The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor;  six  members  of  the  Lincoln 
Monument  Association ;  Mr.  Irwin,  who  was  preparing  for  the 
burial  in  the  catacomb,  with  three  or  four  workmen;  the  un- 
dertaker, with  one  or  two  men;  the  plumber;  Mr.  Meredith 
Cooper,  the  sexton  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery;  the  Custodian  of 
the  Monument,  with  his  assistant,  George  W.  Trotter,  and 
some  others.  Under  direction  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
the  bodies  were  exhumed  at  the  point  marked  B,  in  the 
ground  plan,  carried  into  Memorial  Hall,  and  laid  upon 
trestles,  where,  in  the  absence  of  President  Dana,  Gen.  Reece, 
Vice  President,  delivered  the  following  brief  address  on  behalf 
of  the  society: 

"Gentlemen  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association: 

"By  the  action  of  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  As- 
sociation, of  which  your  present  society  is  the  successor,  we 
w^ere  called,  singly  and  by  twos  and  threes,  to  act  as  guard- 
ians of  the  body  of  President  Lincoln,  after  an  attempt  had 
been  made  to  wrest  it  from  the  walls  of  this  Monument, 
erected  under  your  supervision.  In  course  of  time,  and  in 
order  to  do  our  work  more  efficiently,  we  became  a  legal  or- 
ganization, called  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  95 

"After  that,  we  were  called  upon  to  render  more  secure  the 
body  of  Mrs.  Lincoln.  A  true  statement  of  our  acts,  indi- 
vidually and  collectively,  precedes  this  paper.  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  has  never  assumed  that  it  is  their  province 
to  examine  and  decide  upon  the  identity  of  the  remains  in 
either  case,  and  that  it  belongs  exclusively  to  your  Associa- 
tion to  do  that.  Having  exhumed  the  bodies,  we  hereby 
certify  that  they  are  in  the  identical  enclosures  in  which  we 
received  them,  and  that  the  enclosures  have  never  been  broken 
except  as  stated  in  our  historical  account.  In  this  condition 
we  turn  them  over  to  your  Association,  thus  terminating 
what  has  been  to  us  a  labor  of  love  and  veneration. 

*G.  S.  DANA,  President. 

J.  N.  REECE,  Vice  President. 

J.  C.  POWER,  Secretary. 

J.  P.  LINDLEY,  Treasurer. 
MAS.  F.  MCNEILL. 

NOBLE  B.  WIGGINS. 

HOB  ACE  CHAPIN. 

EDWABD  S.  JOHNSON. 

CLINTON  L.  CONKLING, 
"MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT,  April  14, 1887." 

•v 

Without  form  or  ceremony,  the  members  of  the  Lincoln 
Monument  Association,  who  were  present,  took  charge  of  the 
bodies,  and  at  once,  by  mutual  agreement,  decided  that  in 
order  to  satisfy  the  reasonable  expectations  of  the  people, 
after  so  many  changes,  it  was  indispensably  necessary  to 
identify  the  body  of  the  President.  Mr.  Thomas  C.  Smith, 
the  undertaker  who  made  the  cedar  coffin,  was  then  requested 
to  open  it,  which  he  did.  A  piece  of  the  lead  coffin  about  a 
foot  square  was  cut  on  three  sides  and  turned  back,  expos- 
ing the  familiar  features  to  the  light.  Of  the  eighteen  or 
nineteen  persons  present,  nearly  all  had  personally  seen  the 
President  in  life.  There  was  not  one  who  expressed  the 
slightest  doubt  that  he  was  looking  at  the  features  of  the 
beloved  President.  They  were  almost  as  perfect  as  they  are 
in  the  bronze  statue  on  the  Monument,  and  the  color  is 
about  as  dark  as  the  statue.  After  being  exposed  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes,  the  lead  coffin  was  closed  and  soldered  air 
tight  by  the  plumber,  Mr.  Leon  P.  Hopkins,  of  Springfield, 

*  Out  of  the  City  and  State  during  these  exercises. 


96  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL   THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

who,  as  a  natural  consequence,  was  the  last  man  to  look  on 
the  face  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  bodies  were  then  con- 
veyed from  Memorial  Hall  to  the  Catacomb,  and  there  buried. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  statement  made  and  signed 
by  the  members  present  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association : 
"We,  the  undersigned  members  of  the  Lincoln  Monument 
Association,  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  do  hereby  certify,  that  on 
the  14th  day  of  April,  1887,  we  saw  the  cedar,  and  lead 
coffins,  which  contain  the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  opened 
in  our  presence  in  the  Memorial  Hall  of  the  Monument.  The 
remains  were  somewhat  shrunken,  but  the  features  were 
quite  natural,  and  we  could  readily  recognize  them  as  the 
features  of  the  former  illustrious  President  of  our  Nation,  and 
our  former  friend  and  fellow  citizen.  We  do  hereby  certify 
that  they  are  his  remains,  and  that  they  were  again  re-sealed 
in  said  coffins  and  deposited  in  the  vault  beneath  the  floor 
of  the  catacomb  in  our  presence. 

JAMES  C.  CONKLING, 
OZIAS  M.  HATCH, 
GEORGE  N.  BLACK, 
JOHN  W.  BUNN, 
LINCOLN  DUBOIS, 
CHRISTOPHER  C.  BROWN. 
"Dated  this  14th  day  of  April,  18.87." 

The  members  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association  also 
made  the  annexed  statement  concerning  the  remains  of  Mrs. 
Mary  T.  Lincoln: 

"We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  certify  that*  the  coffins  con- 
taining the  remains  of  Mary  T.  Lincoln,  wife  of  the  lamented 
Abraham  Lincoln,  were  this  day  removed  from  the  place 
where  they  had  been  resting  for  several  years  beneath  the 
Lincoln  Monument,  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  were  deposited 
in  our  presence  by  the  side  of  those  of  her  husband,  in  the 
vault  beneath  the  floor  of  the  catacomb  of  said  monument: 
"Dated  this  14th  day  of  April,  1887. 

JAMES  C.  CONKLING, 
OZIAS  M.  HATCH, 
GEO.  N.  BLACK, 
JOHN  W.  BUNN, 
LINCOLN  DUBOIS, 
CHRISTOPHER  C.  BROWN." 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  97 

After  the  identification,  and  the  coffins  were  lowered  into 
the  vault,  workmen  proceeded  to  fill  it  with  concrete,  sur- 
rounding each  coffin  with  cement  nearly  in  a  liquid  state, 
which  in  a  short  time  hardens  as  a  solid  mass  of  stone,  more 
than  four  feet  and  a  half  in  depth  over  the  tops  of  the  coffins. 
Over  that  the  tessellated  marble  floor  was  relaid,  and  the 
sarcophagus  placed  in  the  position  it  occupied  formerly.  The 
bodies  are  now  practically  inside  of  and  beneath  a  mass  of 
«tone  six  feet  deep,  eight  and  a  half  feet  wide  and  eleven  feet 
long.  To  outward  appearance  there  is  no  change  from  what 
has  been  visible  for  years. 

To  the  children  of  Israel  the  burial  place  of  Moses  was  lost, 
but  that  did  not  destroy  his  great  work  for  humanity,  neither 
would  it  have  destroyed  the  work  of  Abraham  Lincoln  if  his 
remains  had  been  lost.  But  there  is  no  longer  any  necessity 
for  the  Custodian  to  evade  the  questions  of  visitors.  After 
more  than  ten  years  secret  movements  in  guarding  against 
a  repetition  of  the  vandalism  of  attempting  to  steal  the  body, 
it  is  now  safe,  for  there  could  not  a  sufficient  number  of  men 
work  at  it  to  get  it  out  in  one  night,  and  a  plot  that  would 
require  longer  time  to  execute  is  sure  to  be  detected. 

Since  the  final  burial  of  the  remains  of  President  and  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  the  writer,  as  Custodian  of  the  monument,  in  order 
to  economise  time,  has  adopted  a  very  brief  method,  when 
the  amount  of  information  is  taken  into  consideration,  in 
giving  visitors  an  account  of  the  attempted  robbery  and  sub- 
sequent events  connected  with  it,  for  intelligent  visitors  who 
have  incurred  the  expense  in  time  and  money  to  make  the 
pilgrimage  are  not  satisfied  until  they  obtain  the  information 
they  come  in  search  of,  and  will  ask  a  great  number  of  ques- 
tions, unless  a  somewhat  full  though  concise  statement  is 
made.  There  are  parties  who,  after  having  made  one  visit 
and  hearing  all,  come  back  with  their  friends  on  their  first 
visit,  who  think  it  a  manifestation  of  superior  wisdom  to 
make  ungracious  and  sometimes  insulting  remarks  about  the 
Custodian  talking  so  much.  He  does  not  think  it  at  all  dis- 
courteous to  say  to  all  such,  in  presence  of  their  friends,  "The 
way  is  entirely  clear  for  you  sir,  or  madam,  to  depart  the  mo- 
ment you  are  wearied  with  listening."  In  writing  this  history 
he  has  at  times  found  it  quite  embarrassing  to  speak  of  himself 


98  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

so  many  times,  as  it  is  unavoidable,  for  he  is  the  only  person 
who  was  present  when  the  attempt  was  made  to  steal  the 
body,  and  has  been  present  at  every  movement,  night  and 
day,  for  its  protection,  until  the  final  interment.  He  is  also 
the  only  member  who  has  been  present  at  every  meeting  of 
The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  for  any  purpose  and  at  every 
memorial  service.  The  repetition  of  the  pronoun  "I,"  is  so 
distasteful  to  him  that  it  has  been  avoided  as  far  as  possible, 
and  speaking  in  the  third  person  adopted,  as  the  writer,  the 
Secretary  and  the  Custodian.  The  description  to  visitors  is 
generally  given  in  the  catacomb,  by  the  side  of  the  sarcopha- 
gus, and  without  stopping  to  point  out  localities  by  the  en- 
gravings, as  the  reader  can  do  more  leisurely.  It  involves 
some  repetition,  and  when  given  in  full  is  about  as  follows: 

THE  CUSTODIAN'S  DESCRIPTION  TO' VISITORS. 

Immediately  after  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln, 
the  people  of  Springfield  commenced  preparations  for  the 
sepulture  of  the  remains.  The  citizens  and  city  authorities 
made  a  conditional  contract  for  the  block  of  ground  on  which 
the  present  State  Captol  stands,  as  a  site  for  the  monument, 
and  had  men  work  night  and  day  to  prepare  a  temporary 
vault  for  the  reception  of  the  body.  Mrs.  Lincoln  being  pros- 
trated by  the  shock,  remained  in  Washington.  About  the 
time  the  funeral  cortege  arrived  in  Springfield,  it  was  found 
by  telegraphic  communication  that  she  was  unwilling  that 
anything  more  should  be  done  on  the  site  chosen.  Instead  of 
putting  the  body  there,  it  was  deposited  May  4,  1865,  in  the 
receiving  tomb  for  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  which  is  on  the 
monument  grounds.  (See  view  of  the  monument  from  the 
north  including  cut  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff.)  (Also,  see  map 
of  the  monument  grounds,  marked,  "receiving  tomb.")  The 
body  of  President  Lincoln  remained  in  that  tomb  seven  and 
a  half  months,  when  it  was  removed  December  21,  1865,  to 
a  vault  prepared  under  direction  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument  Association.  (See  map  marked,  "Original  Lincoln 
Vault.")  The  body  remained  in  that  vault  nearly  six  years, 
during  which  time  the  building  of  the  monument  was  com- 
menced and  so  far  advanced  as  to  be  ready  to  receive  it, 
when  it  was  taken  from  the  lead  lined  wooden  coffin,  in  which 
it  was  brought  from  Washington,  because  the  lining  was  found 


ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  99 

to  be  broken,  placed  in  an  iron  coffin,  and  again  removed, 
Sept.  19,  1871,  to  the  crypt  No.  1,  being  the  central  one  of 
five  crypts  built  side  by  side  for  the  entire  family.  (See  in- 
terior of  the  Catacomb.)  It  remained  in  that  crypt  three 
years,  until  Oct.  9,  1874,  when,  in  consequence  of  the  iron 
coffin  being  too  long,  it  was  placed  in  a  red  cedar  coffin, 
heavily  lined  with  lead,  and  then  deposited  in  a  marble  sar- 
cophagus. 

The  body  was  in  that  sarcophagus  when  thieves  tried  to 
steal  it  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  7,  1876.  They  selected  that 
time  because  it  was  the  evening  of  the  day  for  holding  the 
presidential  election,  and  they  talked  among  themselves  that 
if  they  were  seen  by  others  at  unseemly  hours,  each  party 
would  probably  conclude  that  the  other  was  out  in  search  of 
election  news,  and  thus  they  would  be  able  to  ward  off  sus- 
picion. We  who  are  connected  with  the  monument  had  been 
warned  before  by  officers  of  the  United  States  secret  service, 
that  a  plot  had  been  discovered  in  Chicago,  for  stealing  the 
body  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  holding  it  until  a  great  reward  should 
be  offered  for  the  recovery  of  it.  The  progress  of  the  plot 
was  watched  by  those  officers  until  they  learned  the  exact 
time  agreed  upon  among  the  robbers  for  carrying  it  into 
effect.  The  night  selected  by  the  thieves,  five  officers  of  the 
TJ.  S.  Secret  Service  were  with  the  writer  in  Memorial  Hall. 
We  had  been  there  three  hours,  in  total  darkness,  when  three 
men  approached  the  outer  door  of  the  hall.  (See  view  of  the 
monument  facing  south.) 

One  of  the  men  carried  a  dark  lantern,  lighted,  which  was 
turned  about  and  finding  the  doors  locked,  and  not  seeing 
any  light  inside,  that  seemed  to  satisfy  them  that  there  was 
not  any  person  about  the  monument.  Then  they  went  to 
the  north  end,  and  approached  the  catacomb.  (See  view  of  the 
monument  from  the  north.)  The  shutter  to  the  door  of  that 
is  made  of  iron  rods  only,  and  is  fastened  with  a  padlock. 
The  thieves  commenced  on  the  lock  with  a  very  fine  saw,  so 
highly  tempered  that  they  soon  broke  it,  and  finished  their 
work  with  a  triangular  saw  file.  The  latter  part  of  the 
work  required  a  comparatively  long  time.  Having  affected 
an  entrance,  they,  with  an  old  axe,  pried  off  the  top  piece  of 
marble  A,  and  stood  it  on  the  end  against  panel  4.  They 
then  pried  and  lifted  at  the  main  lid,  B,  which  projects  over 


100  ATTEMPT  TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

the  sides  and  ends,  until  they  raised  it  above  the  copper 
dowels  in  the  sides,  turned  it  across  the  sarcophagus  and 
pushed  it  nearly  to  the  wall.  They  then  took  the  end  piece, 
G,  and  sat  it  on  edge  near  the  door.  The  red  cedar  coffin, 
D,  with  the  square  end,  E,  was  drawn  out  of  the  sarcoph- 
agus fifteen  or  eighteen  inches.  That  was  the  condition  of 
things  when  the  officers  came  around  from  the  Memorial  Hall 
and  the  thieves  had  disappeared.  There  was  a  young  man 
with  them  who  had  discovered  the  plot  in  Chicago,  acci- 
dentally, and  whom  the  thieves  thought  was  an  accomplice.  He 
was  with  them,  under  instruction  from  an  officer  of  the  United 
States  Secret  Service,  who  was  in  command  that  night,  that 
he  should  keep  with  them  until  they  broke  the  lock,  at  this  door, 
to  the  catacomb— and  began  to  open  the  sarcophagus.  His 
instructions  were,  that  he  should  then  quietly  leave  them,  go 
around  to  the  door  of  Memorial  Hall,  give  a  signal  agreed 
upon  before,  when  it  was  thought  that  the  whole  force  of 
officers  could  move  quickly  out  of  the  Hall,  around  to  the 
catacomb  and  capture  the  miscreants  at  their  work.  When 
the  lock  had  been  broken,  and  before  the  thieves  commenced 
their  work  on  the  sarcophagus,  they  had  the  shrewdness  to 
push  the  young  man  into  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
catacomb,  at  the  point  marked  with  a  *,  and  gave  him  the 
lantern  to  hold.  He  said  the  moment  they  did  that,  he  knew 
it  meant  that  if  he  made  any  movement  to  get  rid  of  the 
light,  and  pass  by  them,  out  of  the  door,  they  would  be  very 
sure  to  shoot  him  dead.  If  it  had  been  a  question  of  saving 
himself  he  could  have  rushed  out  by  them  and  made  his  es- 
cape, but  that  would  have  been  a  signal  to  them  that  some- 
thing was  wrong,  and  they  would  have  escaped  before  he 
could  have  brought  the  officers  around  from  the  opposite  end 
of  the  monument.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  the  only  prob- 
ability of  success  lay  in  holding  the  light  until  they  did  their 
work,  and  then  take  his  chances  for  giving  the  signal  in  time 
to  have  them  captured.  Having  taken  the  sarcophagus  apart 
and  drawn  the  coffin  out  as  seen  in  the  engraving,  the  thieves 
were  ready  for  the  horse  and  wagon  to  haul  the  body  away, 
which,  by  mutual  agreement,  the  young  man  was  to  provide, 
and  which  he  made  them  believe  was  in  waiting  at  the  east 
gate  of  the  cemetery  in  the  valley  about  two  hundred  yards 
northeast  of  the  monument.  They  directed  him  to  bring  up 


ATTEMPT   TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  101 

his  wagon,  saying  they  would  wait  at  the  catacomb  until  his 
return.    He  started  in  the  direction  indicated  and  ran  down 
on  the  sward,  going  by  the  site  of  the  original  Lincoln  vault, 
(see  map, )  until  he  passed  out  of  their  sight  in  the  darkness ; 
then,  as  he  had  no  wagon,  nor  never  intended  "to,  he  turned 
abruptly  to  the  right,  ran  around  to  the  south  end  of   the 
monument,  and  gave   the  signal  agreed  upon,  by  striking  a 
match  on  the  jamb  of  the  door  to  Memorial  Hall,  and  light- 
ing a  cigar.    The  officers,  not  having  any  light,  filed   out  of 
the  hall,  leaving  the  writer  alone,  and  passed  rapidly  around 
to  the  catacomb,  led  by  the  chief  officer,  who,  with  a  cocked 
revolver  in  each  hand,  called   upon  whoever  was  in  there  to 
surrender.    After  calling  a  second  time  without  receiving  any 
answer,  he  struck  a  match  and  found  the  scene  presented  in 
the  engraving  of  the  broken  sarcopnagus,  but  the  thieves  had 
departed.    It  was  afterwards  learned,  that  when  they  started 
the  young  man  off  for  the  wagon,  they,  too  shrewd  to  stand 
around  the  door,  lest  some   other   party  might  be  watching 
their  movements,  quietly  went  to .  a  small  oak  tree,  (marked 
location  of  thieves,  see  map,)  and   were  watching  the  cata- 
comb when   the   officers   came  around   from   Memorial  Hall. 
They  told  their  supposed    accomplice  afterwards,  that  dark 
as  it  was.  they  could  see  the  outlines  of  the  officers  as  they 
approacbed  the  door,  and  supposing  he  had  returned  with  a> 
teamster,    started   to   meet   him.      When   they  came   within 
twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  of  the  door  they  heard  voices,   and 
when  the  light  was  struck  in  the  catacomb,  discovered  that 
it  was  officers  hunting  for  them.      They  told  the  young  man 
that  they  "then  'thought  it  would  be  more  healthy  for  them 
to  go  the  other  way."      They  made   their   escape,  but  were 
captured  in  Chicago  ten  days  later,  brought  back  to  Spring- 
field, tried,  convicted    and    sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for 
one  year.    One  year  only,  because  there  was  not  at  that  time 
any  law  in  Illinois   that   made   it    a   penitentiary  offense  to 
steal  a  human  dead  body.-    They  were  not  sentenced  for  that, 
but  for  burglary  and  conspiracy.     (See  Division  Five  for  report 
of  trial.)    If  they  were  to  do  the  same  thing  now,  and  be  cap- 
tured, they  might   be  sent   for   ten   years,  because  there  has. 
been  a  law  enacted  since  that  time  to  cover  such  cases.     In 


"102  ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL   THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

•consequence  of  the  general  confusion,  everything  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  two  days  where  the  thieves  left  them,  as 
seen  in  the  broken  sarcophagus. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  the  Monument  Asso- 
ciation sent  a  marble  workman  out  with  two  assistants  to 
put  the  sarcophagus  together.  The  Custodian  had  them  push 
the  coffin  back,  put  each  piece  of  marble  where  it  belonged, 
and  cement  all  as  though  nothing  more  wrould  be  done.  Six 
days  later,  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Association,  came  out  in  the  forenoon,  and 
told  the  Custodian  that  he  could  not  sleep  for  thinking  how 
easy  a  matter  it  would  be  for  the  thieves  to  obtain  the  body 
yet,  if  they  desired  to  do  so.  He  said  that  the  same  marble 
workman  with  his  assistants  would  be  at  the  monument  that 
afternoon,  and  he  wished  the  Custodian  to  have  them  take 
the  sarcophagus  apart,  take  the  coffin  out,  and  lay  it  on  the 
floor  in  the  northwest  curve  of  the  wall  of  the  tjatacomb,  and 
remain  there  until  dark,  w^hen  he  would  come  with  sufficient 
assistance  to  move  it  to  where  it  would  be  more  secure.  The 
marble  workmen  came,  did  the  work  as  directed,  put  the  sar- 
cophagus back  together  and  cemented  all  the  joints  carefully, 
and  when  done  the  principal  workman  dismissed  his  assistants, 
but  he  and  the  Custodian  remained  in  waiting  until  dark, 
when  the  three  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Monument  Associction  came,  and  we  five  took  the  coffin  up, 
carried  it  outside,  around  the  east  side  of  the  monument  into 
Memorial  Hall,  through  the  back  door  of  the  hall  to  the  east 
side  of  the  foundation  of  the  obelisk,  and  deposited  it  on  some 
timbers  at  the  point  marked  A,  ground  plan.  There  a  short 
consultation  was  held,  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  marble 
workman  should  bring  a  box  out  the  next  day  to  tit  the 
coffin,  and  he,  with  the  writer,  should  put  the  coffin  in  the  box 
and  bury  all.  He  brought  the  box,  in  pieces,  we  put  it 
together  inside  to  avoid  attracting  attention,  and  by  laying 
the  box  on  the  side  and  by  turning  the  coffin  on  the  side,  we 
were  able  to  get  them  together,  but  it  was  exceedingly  hard 
work  for  two  men,  for  the  coffin  alone  weighs  more  than  five 
hundred  pounds,  and  the  atmosphere  we  had  to  breathe  was 
almost  stifling  for  want  of  ventilation.  At  this  point  the 
writer  suggested  that  we  should  not  work  any  more  that  day, 
and  that  his  comrade  need  not  return,  as  he  thought  he  could 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  103 

bury  it  alone,  by  digging  down  close  to  the  timbers  and 
and  using  a  lever  he  could  slip  the  coffin  into  the  cavity  and 
•cover  it  with  earth.  Next  morning  he  commenced  digging, 
but  soon  found  that  it  would  be  a  tedious  job,  for  he  had  to 
go  outside  whenever  he  heard  steps  overhead,  ascertain  the 
wants  of  visitors,  and  wait  upon  all  who  wished  to  be  shown 
through.  For  that  reason  it  required  three  days  continuous 
effort  to  get  the  cavity  to  a  sufficient  depth  to  receive  the 
•coffin,  and  when  that  was  accomplished  water  began  to  come 
in.  It  was  naturally  a  dry  place,  but  there  had  been  so  much 
leakage  without  any  ventilation,  as  to  account  for  that  diffi- 
culty. He  reported  the  situation  to  the  Executive  Committee, 
and  asked  for  further  instructions.  All  the  instructions  re- 
ceived were,  to  let  the  coffin  remain  on  the  timbers,  keep  it 
covered  as  a  protection  from  leakage,  and  wait  until  the  com- 
mittee determined  what  to  do. 

To  the  astonishment  of  every  one  who  hears  of  it,  the 
coffin  lay  there  unburied  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  the  body  of  Alexander  T.  Stewart,  the  wealthiest  mer- 
chant of  New  York  city,  was  stolen  and  held  for  a  ransom. 
When  that  news  came,  it  appeared  to  the  Custodian  as  though 
Tialf  the  people  of  Springfield  accosted  him  on  the  street,  or 
came  to  the  Monument  and  inquired  if  the  body  of  Lincoln 
was  safe.  He  did  not  think  it  was,  but  evaded  their  ques- 
tions as  well  as  he  could.  After  two  weeks'  annoyance  of  this 
kind,  he  received  a  missive  through  the  postoffice,  warning 
him  not  to  be  out  of  his  house  alone  after  nightfall,  indicat- 
ing that  there  was  some  other  plotting  going  on,  in  which 
liis  personal  saiety  was  involved.  This  made  it  imperatively 
necessary  for  him  to  call  again  upon  the  executive  committee 
and  inform  them  that  he  was  unwilling  to  remain  in  charge 
unless  they  would  come  and  bury  the  body,  or  put  it  where 
it  could  not  be  so  easily  found.  They  reminded  him  that 
they  were  each  ten  or  twelve  years  older  than  himself,  that 
what  they  had  done  two  years  previous  in  carrying  the  body 
around  and  into  the  interior  of  the  Monument,  had  nearly 
disabled  them,  and  that  they  could  do  no  more.  They  then 
placed  the  entire  responsibility  on  him,  by  telling  hini  to  call 
to  his  aid  younger  men,  whom  he  could  trust,  get  them  to 
come  and  assist  him,  find  the  dryest  place  they  could  inside, 
and  bury  it.  He  at  once  called  upon  two  men  of  his 


104  ATTEMPT   TO   STEAL  THE  BODY  OF  LINCOLN. 

acquaintance,  who  had  each  a  good  record  for  service  in  the 
army  of  the  Union.  He  stated  the  case  to  them,  and  asked 
their  assistance,  which  they  very  readily  agreed  to  give. 
They  three  each  invited  another  to  join  them,  and  the  six 
carne  to  the  Monument  in  the  night,  and  took  the  body  from 
the  point  marked  A  (SOP  ground  plan),  where  it  had  lain 
more  than  two  years,  and  buried  it  at  the  point  B,  in  the 
same  figure.  That  was  done  in  November,  1878,  Fifteen 
months  later,  the  six  invited  three  others  to  unite  with  them 
in  organizing  under7  the  laws  of  Illinois,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  that  they  might  be  in  a  position  to  act  efficiently 
against  any  further  acts  of  vandalism  in  connection  with  the 
remains  of  President  Lincoln.  Robert  T.  Lincoln  was  very 
properly  informed  confidentially  of  what  we  had  done,  soon 
after  the  body  of  his  father  was  buried,  although  the  exact 
spot  was  not  pointed  out  to  him.  When  his  mother  died  in 
July,  1882,  her  body  was  put  in  crypt  No,  4,  in  the  cata- 
comb, but  it  was  not  in  there  forty-eight  hours.  The  day 
after  the  public  funeral,  Robert  Lincoln  expressed  a  desire 
that  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  should  take  the  body  of 
his  mother  from  the  crypt  and  bury  it  by  The  side  of  his 
father.  The  President  and  Secretary  gave  notice  for  the 
members  to  assemble  at  the  Monument,  at  ten  o'clock  on 
the  evening  of  July  21,  and  by  two  o'clock  next  morning 
the  work  was  done.  The  bodies  remained  there  until  April 
14,  1887,  when  they  were  exhumed  by  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  conveyed  back  to  Memorial  Hall,  and  there  formally 
delivered  to  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Monument  Association  immediately  ordered  the 
wood  and  lead  coffin  of  the  President  to  be  opened,  that  they 
might  identify  the  body.  Finding  the  features  in  the  most 
perfect  state  of  preservation,  and  making  a  record  of  that 
fact,  signed  by  all  the  members  of  the  Association  present, 
the  coffins  were  closed  and  both  bodies  conveyed  out  of  the 
hall  and  around  to  the  catacomb,  where  a  receptacle  had 
been  prepared,  under  direction  of  the  Custodian,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Monument  Association.  It  was  five  and  a  half 
feet  wider  eight  feet  long,  and  six  feet  deep  in  the  clear,  with 
a  wall  eighteen  inches  thick  of  hard  burned  brick,  laid  in  the 
best  of  cement  mortar  all  around  it.  Eight  inches  of  con- 
crete was  spread  over  the  bottom  and  the  coffins  laid  on  that.. 


ATTEMPT  TO  STEAL  THE   BODY  OF  LINCOLN.  10. > 

In  adjusting  the  coffin  containing  the  body  of  the  President, 
a  line  was  drawn  from  the  centre  of  the  door  to  the  centre 
of  the  open  crypt,  and  the  coffin  so  adjusted  that  the  line 
extended  over  the  centre  of  that.  The  coffin  of  Mrs.  Lincoln 
lay  at  the  east  side  of  that  of  her  husband,  with  four  or  five 
inches  of  space  between.  When  the  body  of  the  President  was 
in  the  sarcophagus,  the  head  was  towards  the  north,  but  in 
the  burial  it  was  turned  to  the  south,  for  the  reason  that 
there  will  probably  be  a  time  when  the  empty  sarcophagus 
will  be  removed  and  a  tablet  bearing  appropriate  inscriptions 
laid  on  the  floor  over  the  bodies,  to  be  read  standing  in  the 
door.  Then  it  would  be  quite  appropriate  that  the  reading 
should  begin  at  the  head  and  extend  to  the  foot.  In  ad- 
justing the  coffins  the  tops  of  them  were  brought  to  about 
four  and  a  half  feet  below  the  level  of  the  floor.  None  of  the 
earth  taken  out  was  put  back,  but  the  entire  space  was  filled 
with  concrete.  The  mortar  to  begin  with  was  made  so  soft 
as  to  settle  snugly  into  every  crevice  around  the  coffins. 
Above  that  it  was  mixed  with  broken  stone,  the  entire  mass 
hardening  as  one  piece,  so  that  after  more  than  ten  years 
secreting  the  body,  those  responsible  for  its  safe  keeping  feel 
at  liberty  to  give  its  entire  history,  and  are  not  only  willing- 
but  desirous  that  the  people  should  know  all  about  it.  Look- 
ing at  the  ground  plan,  the  sarcophagus  is  exactly  over  the 
President's  body,  and  the  letter  "S"  is  over  where  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln's body  lies.  There  was  but  one  reporter  present,  and  he 
described  a  brick  arch  as  having  been  built  over  the  coffins 
after  they  were  put  in  their  final  resting  place,  but  of  more 
than  twenty  men  present,  he  was  the  only  man  who  saw  the 
arch,  for  the  simple  reason  that  no  arch  was  there,  neither 
was  it  ever  designed  that  there  should  be,  and  the  only  brick 
used  in  the  grave  were  pieces  broken  quite  small  as  parts  of 
the  concrete.  It  is  not  believed  that  a  sufficient  number  of 
men  could  work  at  it  to  get  the  body  out  now,  in  three  days 
and  nights,  and  if  they  cannot  do  it  in  one  night,  they  can- 
not do  it  at  all. 


-7 


106  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


DIVISION  SEVENTH. 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY. 


Xegal  Organization  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  and  a  Statement  of  its  Aims 
and  Objects — Its  first  Memorial  Service — Two  Versions  of  Lincoln's  Farewell 
Address  to  the  People  of  Springfield — Members  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association  made  Honorary  Members — Observance  of  Soldiers'  Decora- 
tion on  Memorial  Day — Beautiful  Decoration  of  Lincoln's  Sarcophagus — 
Anniversary  of  Lincoln's  Birth. 

MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 
SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  Feb.  12, 1880, 

(THREE  O'CLOCK  AFTERNOON). 

Present — Gustavus  S.  Dana,  Jasper  N.  Reece,  John  Carroll 
Power,  James  F.  McNeill,  Joseph  P.  Lindley,  Edward  S.  John- 
son, Horace  Chapin,  Noble  B.Wiggins  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling. 

As  a  preliminary  to  the  transaction  of  business,  on  motion 
it  was 

Resolved,  That  J.  N.  Reece  be  chosen  Chairman,  and  J.  C.  Power  Secretary  of 
the  meeting. 

The  Secretary  being  called  upon  to  do  so,  stated  that  by 
the  action  of  an  executive  officer  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument  Association,  through  the  Custodian  of  the  Monu- 
ment, the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  late  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  had  been  placed  under  our  guar- 
dianship, and  that  we  could  execute  our  trust  more  effectually 
by  withholding  from  the  public  all  knowledge  of  the  responsi- 
bility resting  upon  us.  He  further  stated  that  Hon.  Robert 
T.  Lincoln  had  once  expressed  a  willingness  to  put  the  Lin- 
coln Homestead  in  this  city,  in  the  custody  of  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  Association.  It  was  said  on  the  part  of 
Ihe  Association  that  to  accept  it  \vould  be  foreign  to  the 
•objects  for  which  the  Association  was  formed ;  and  since  that 
time  he  had  repaired  and  rented  it  as  a  residence,  and  might 
not  care  to  consider  any  proposition  from  a  new  organiza- 
tion. The  Secretary  still  further  stated  that  there  was  ample 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  107 

ivork  for  an  organization  to  do  in  holding  memorial  services 
on  the  anniversaries  of  Lincoln's  birth,  death,  emancipation 
day,  decoration  day,  etc.  After  this  explanation,  and  on 
motion,  it  was 

Resolved,  That  an  organization  be  now  effected,  and  it  be  called  THE  LINCOLN 
GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

The  following  petition  was  then  prepared  and  signed: 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,      ) 
SANGAMON  COUNTY,  f   " 

To  George  H.  Harlow  Secretary  of  State ' 

We,  the  undersigned,  G.  S.  Dana,  J.  N.  Reece,  J.  C.  Power,  Jas.  F.  McNeill,  J.  P. 
Lindley,  Edward  S.  Johnson,  Horace  Chapin,  N.  B.  Wiggins  and  Clinton  L.  Conk- 
ling,  citizens  of  the  United  States,  propose  to  form  a  corporation  under  an  act  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  entitled,  "An  Act  concerning  Cor- 
porations," approved  April  18,  1872,  and  that  for  the  purposes  of  such  organization 
we  hereby  state  as  follows,  to-wit : 

1.  The  name  of  such  Corporation  is  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

2.  The  objects  for  which  it  is  formed,  is  to  negotiate  for  the  purchase  of  the 
former  Home  of  Lincoln,  raise  funds  to  pay  for  and  keep  it  in  repair  and  keep  it 
open  to  the  public,  under  suitable  regulations,  and  hold  it  in  trust  for  the  People, 

3.  To  conduct  memorial  services,  either,  at  the  home  or  tomb  of  Lincoln,  or  at 
such  other  places  as  this  association  may  designate  on  appropriate  occasions,  such 
as  the  anniversaries  of  his  birth,  death,  emancipation  day,  decoration  day,  or  any 
•other  important  events  connected  with  his  life. 

4.  To  collect  and  preserve  such  relics  of   him  as  will  not  interfere  with  the 
proper  collection  in  Memorial  Hall  at  the  monument,  especially  such  as  would  be 
more  suitably  cared  for  at  the  residence,  more  particularly  those  connected  with 
his  domestic  and  home  life. 

5.  The  management  of  the  aforesaid  association  shall  be  vested  in  a  board  of 
nine  directors,  who  are  to  be  elected  annually. 

6.  The  following  persons  are  hereby  selected  as  the  directors  to  control  and 
manage  said  corporation  for  the  first  year  of  its  corporate  existence,  and  until 
their  successors  are  chosen  and  qualified,  namely:    J.  C.  Power,  G.  S.  Dana,  J.  N. 
Reece,  J.  F.  McNeill,  J.  P.  Lindley.  Edward  S.  Johnson,  Horace  Chapin,  N.  B. 
Wiggins  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling. 

7.  The  location  is  at  Springfield,  in  the  county  of   Sangamon,  and  State  of 

Illinois. 

Signed, 

J.  C.  POWER,          J.  P.  LINDLEY, 
J.  N.  REFCE,  EDWARD  S.JOHNSON. 

G.  S.  DANA,  HORACE  CHAPIN. 

JAS.  F.  MCNEILL,    N.  B.  WIGGINS. 
CLINTON  L.  CONKLING. 

•STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,         ) 

COUNTY  OF  SANGAMON,  f 

I,  James  F.  McNeill,  a  Notary  Public,  in  and  for  the  County  and  State  aforesaid, 
do  hereby  certify  that  on  this  twelfth  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1880,  personally  ap- 
peared before  me,  G.  S.  Dana,  J.  N.  Reece,  J.  C.  Power,  J.  P.  Lindley,  Edward  S. 
Johnson,  Horace  Chapin,  N.  B.  Wiggins  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  to  me  personally 


108  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

known  to  be  the  same  persons  who  executed  the  foregoing  statement,  and  severally 
acknowledged  that  they  had  executed  the  same  for  the  purposes  therein  set  forth. 
In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  the  day  and  year 
above  written. 

j  N.  P.  {  JAMES  F.  MCNEILL, 

|  SEAL,  f  Notary  Public. 

STATE  or  ILLINOIS,  ) 

COUNTY  OF  SANGAMON.  j     ' 

I,  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  a  Notary  Public,  in  and  for  the  County  and  State  afore- 
said, do  hereby  certify,  that  on  this  twelfth  day  of  February,  1880,  personally  ap- 
peared before  me,  James  F.  McNeill,  to  me  personally  known  to  be  the  same  per- 
son who  executed  the  foregoing  statement,  and  then  acknowleged  that  he  had  exe- 
cuted the  same  for  the  purposes  therein  set  forth. 

In  witness  whereof  I  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal,  this  day  and  year  above 
written.  • 

j  N.  P. )  CLINTON  L.  CONKLING, 

(  SEAL.  [  Notary  Public. 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  DEPARTMENT  OF  STATE, 

GEORGE  H .  HARLOW,  Secretary  of  State. 
To  all  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come — GREETING: 

WHEREAS,  a  Certificate,  duly  signed  and  acknowledged,  having  been  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  on  the  Thirteenth  day  of  February,  A.  D. 
1880,  fcr  the  organization  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR,  under  and  in 
accordance  with  the  provisions  of  "An  Act  concerning  Corporations,"  approved 
April  18,  1872,  and  in  force  July  1,  1872,  a  copy  of  which  certificate  is  hereto- 
attached. 

Now,  therefore,  I,  GEORGE  H.  HARLOW,  Secretary  of  State,  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  by  virtue  of  the  powers  and  duties  vested  in  me  by  law,  do  hereby  certify 
that  the  said,  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR,  is  a  legally  organized  corpora- 
tion under  the  laws  of  this  State. 

In  Testimony  Whereof,  I  hereto  set  my  hand,  and  cause  to  be  affixed  the  great 
seal  of  State.  Done  at  the  City  of  Springfield,  this  thirteenth  day  of  February, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  eighty,  and  of  the  Inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourth. 

GEORGE  H.  HARLOW, 
[SEAL  OF  STATE.]  Secretary  of  State. 

The  objects  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  was  then  pub- 
licly announced  to  be  the  raising  of  a  fund,  and  purchasing  and 
keeping  in  repair  the  former  home  of  President  Lincoln,  and 
keep  it  open  to  visitors  under  proper  regulations;  and  to- 
hold  Memorial  Services  on  the  anniversaries  of  his  birth^ 
death,  emancipation  day,  etc.  On  the  action  of  the  new- 
society  being  made  known  to  Robert  Lincoln,  he  declined  to 
negotiate,  and  we  were  thus  relieved  of  any  care  in  that  res- 
pect, for  which  we  are  exceedingly  thankful.  But  it  is  right 
and  proper  in  this  connection  to  say,  that  if  the  objects  above 
stated  had  been  the  real  and  only  ones,  however  commend- 
able their  action  might  have  been,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  109 

Honor  never  would  have  been  organized  by  the  men  who  did 
it.  Their  one  and  all  controling  thought,  was  to  guard  the 
precious  dust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  from  vandal  hands,  and 
that  is  why  they  effected  a  legal  organization. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  at  the  Leland  Hotel  on  March 
9,  1880,  it  was  resolved  to  observe  the  fifteenth  anniversary 
of  the  death  of  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  by  appropriate  services,  to 
be  held  at  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  on  the  morning 
of  April  the  15th,  1880,  commencing  at  twenty-two  minutes 
past  seven  o'clock. 

OUR  FIRST  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  the  Committee  appointed  for  the 
purpose,  submitted  the  following  programme  and  order  of 
•exercises,  which  was  approved. 

PROGRAMME  OF  MEMORIAL  SERVICES. 

TO  BE  HELD  ON  THE  FIFTEENTH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE  DEATH  OP 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Services  will  begin  exactly  at  seven  o'clock  and  twenty-two  minutes,  on  the 
morning  of  April  15th,  corresponding  with  the  time  of  President  Lincoln's  death. 
They  will  be  held  at  the  Catacomb,  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  under  the 
auspices  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Being  their  first  observance,  there  will  be  no  effort  at  an  imposing  demonstra- 
tion, but  a  simple  Memorial  Service  at  the  former  Home  of  the  Martyr  President. 
A  cordial  invitation  is  extended  to  all  citizens,  and  strangers  who  may  be  in  the 
city,  to  be  present  and  unite  in  the  services. 

The  following  will  be  the  Order  of  Exercises : 

PRAYER,  By  Rev.  James  A.  Reed,  D.  D.,  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 
SINGING,  .--...  "  The  Sleep  of  the  Brave." 

By  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Quintette, 
Prof.  S.  T.  Church,  Frank  M.  WiUs,  Edward  Wills, 

Frank  L.  Fuller,  Frank  Ruth. 

READING        ...       Lincoln's  Farewell  to  the  People  of  Springfield, 

By  Rev.  Albert  Hale. 
READING,  ...  Lincoln's  Letter  to  Eliza  P.  Gurney, 

By  J.  C.  Power. 
SINGING,        -  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,'' 

By  the  Quintette. 
READING,  -  .       Lincoln's  Second  Inaugural  Address, 

By  Clinton  L.  Conkling. 
READING,  (Lincoln's  Favorite  Poem,) 

"0  why  should  the  Spirit  of  Mortal  be  Proud,'' 
By  Mrs.  Edward  S.  Johnson. 

SINGING,        ...  .  "Let  the  President  Sleep," 

By  the  Quintette. 
BENEDICTION,    -  .  -       By  Rev.  J.  H.  Noble  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church. 


110 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


Both  the  South  and  East  gates  to  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  will  be  open  at  sunrise, 
for  the  admittance  of  those  who  may  desire  to  go  in  carriages. 

A  car  will  leave  the  south  end  of  the  Fifth  street  railroad  at  twenty  minutes  past: 
six,  A.  M.,  arriving  at  Oak  Ridge  Park,  ten  minutes  before  seven. 

By  order  of  THE  LINCOLN  GTJAKD  OF  HONOB. 

J.  C.  POWER,  Secretary.  G.  S.  DANA,  President. 

Springfield,  111.,  April  15,  1880. 

In  printing  our  programmes  we  had  the  accompanying  pro- 
file of  Lincoln  on  the  first  page,  and  a  cut  of  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  on  the  fourth  page  and  continued  to  da 
so  at  every  Memorial  Service. 

Wednesday,  April  14th, 
almost  the  entire  day, 
was  spent  by  Mrs.  Dana, 

^f^'^3W\  wife  of  our  President,  and 

Mrs.  Lindley,  wife  of  our 
present    Treasurer,    in 
decorating  the  catacomb 
and     sarcophagus    with 
flowers.     They  did  their 
..  work    beautifully,     and 
with  the  most  exquisite 
taste.     The  practice  was 
v:mwsp"-»^5^  continued  at  every  Mem- 

morial  Service. 

On  Thursday,  April  15th,  the  memorial  services  were  held, 
under  direction  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR,  assembled 
at  the  catacomb  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  with 
every  member  present,  and  each 
one  wore  a  badge  printed  on 
white  satin  ribbon,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  copy.  It 
was  afterwards  worn  on  all 
public  occasions.  The  morn- 
ing was  chilly,  cloudy,  foggy 
and  threatening  rain,  but 
about  three  hundred  citizens 
and  strangers  braved  the  dis- 
comfort, and  with  heads  un- 
covered reverently  joined  in 
the  opening  exercises. 

NATIONAL  LINCOUTMdNWENL 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


Ill 


pe  Jncoln 


112  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Major  G.  S.  Dana,  President,  commenced  the  exercises,  at 
twenty-two  minutes  past  seven  o'clock,  corresponding  with 
the  time  of  President  LINCOLN'S  death,  by  introducing  Rev. 
James  A.  Reed,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  who  offered  prayer,  as  follows: 

Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  generations.  Before  the  moun- 
tains were  brought  forth  or  ever  Thou  hadst  formed  the  world,  even  from  everlast- 
ing Thou  art  God.  Thou  art  the  hope  and  refuge  of  all  who  put  their  trust  under 
the  shadow  of  Thy  wing.  We  now  invoke  Thy  presence  and  blessing  as  we  here 
assemble  to  commence  these  solemn  services  this  morning ;  and  we  feel,  as  we 
gather  around  this  tomb,  that  we  gather  about  the  resting  place  of  a  great  man — a 
man  made  sacred  by  memory — the  remains  of  one  dear  to  us,  and  whose  name  has 
been  identified  with  the  dearest  interests  of  our  country.  We  have  approached  the 
time  that  recalls  the  hour  of  our  National  affliction — the  hour  when  the  spirit  of 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  "With  malice  towards  none,  with  charity  for  all,"  returned  to 
God  who  gave  it.  And  while  this  hour  recalls  sad  and  painful  memories,  yet,  O 
God,  we  desire  to  cherish  and  perpetuate  to  latest  generations  the  virtues  and  the 
memory  of  him  who  lies  here  entombed.  And  we  pray,  gracious  God,  that  Thou 
•wo^uldst  be  with  us  and  bless  us  this  day.  We  thank  Thee  that,  in  the  hour  of  our 
peril,  Thou  didst  raise  up  for  our  country  such  a  leader  as  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 
We  thank  Thee  for  all  that  was  generous,  truthful  and  noble  in  his  character.  We 
thank  Thee  for  all  that  was  manly  and  elevated  and  decisive  in  his  patriotism.  We 
thank  Thee  for  all  that  was  wise  and  judicious  in  his  statesmanship.  We  thank 
Thee  for  the  great  deliverance  which  he  was  the  means  of  bringing  to  our  land. 
We  thank  Thee  for  all  the  liberty  and  happiness  we  enjoy,  and  for  all  the  grand 
and  blessed  issues  that  have  come  to  us  from  the  instrumentality  of  this  man. 
And  we  pray  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  cherish  his  memory,  to  imitate  his  virtues 
and  preserve  the  blessings  of  liberty  and  peace  that  have  come  to  us.  Let  Thy 
presence  and  blessings  rest  upon  this  day,  and  as  the  recollection  of  the  hour  re- 
curs when  he  was  taken  away  from  us,  may  the  appreciation  of  his  life  and  char- 
acter go  forward  with  us  in  the  noble  pursuit  of  life,  liberty  and  happiness.  Be 
with  us,  we  pray  Thee,  and  with  the  Nation  in  all  our  future  history  ;  sanctify  us 
as  a  Nation  to  Thyself  and  to  Thy  service,  and  finally  accept  of  us  graciously,  in 
Our  Eedeemer.  Amen. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Quintette  Club — 
Messrs.  S.  T.  Church,  Edward  A.  Wills,  Frank  M.  Wills,  Frank 
L.  Fuller  and  R.  F.  Ruth,  Jr. — sang  "THE  SLEEP  OF  THE 
BRAVE." 

How  sleep  the  brave  that  sink  to  rest 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest ; 
When  spring,  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 
Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mold. 

She,  then,  shall  dress  a  sweeter  sod 
Than  fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod, 
By  fairy  hands  their  knell  is  rung, 
By  forms  unseen  their  dirge  is  sung. 


THE   LINCOLN   GUARD   OF  HONOR. 


113 


Then  honor  comes,  a  pilgrim  gray, 
To  bless  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay, 
And  freedom  shall  awhile  repair 
To  dwell  a  weeping  hermit  there. 

Rest  in  peace! 
Sleep  on! 

Key.  Albert  Hale,  an  ex-pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
€hurch  of  Springfield,  the  oldest  clergyman  in  the  city,  being 
in  his  eighty-first  year,  read  the  farewell  address  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, delivered  from  the  platform  of  the  car,  Feb.  11,  1861, 
to  his  neighbors  and  friends,  as  he  was  about  starting  for 
the  Capital  of  the  Nation,  to  become  its  Chief  Magistrate. 


Father  Hale  read  the  only 
version  of  the  address  known 
at  that  time,  which  was  ac- 
cepted everywhere  as  the  true 
one,  but  it  must  now  and 
henceforth  give  way  to  that 
which  came  direct  from  the 
author.  That  which  Mr.  Hale 
read  was  in  the  following 
words: 

MY  FRIENDS: — No  one  not  in  my  po- 
sition can  appreciate  the  sadness  I  feel 
at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe 
all  I  am.  Here  I  have  lived  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ;  here  my 
children  were  born,  and  here  one  of 
them  lies  buried.  I  know  not  how  soon 
I  shall  see  you  again.  A  duty  devolves 
upon  me  which  is,  perhaps,  greater  than 
that  which  has  devolved  upon  any  other 
man  since  the  days  of  Washington.  He 
never  would  have  succeeded  except  for 
the  aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon 
whom  he  at  all  times  relied.  I  feel  that 
I  cannot  succeed  without  the  same 
Divine  aid  which  sustained  him,  and  on 
the  same  Almighty  Being  I  place  my 
reliance  for  support;  and  I  hope  you, 
my  friends,  will  all  pray  that  I  may 
receive  that  Divine  assistance,  without 
which  I  cannot  succeed,  but  with  which 
success  is  certain.  Again,  I  bid  you  an 
affectionate  farewell. 


In  part  of  Nicolay  &  Hay's 
History  of  Lincoln  in  the  Cen- 
tury Magazine  for  December, 
1887,  the  same  address  occurs, 
in  connection  with  which,  by 
a  note  from  the  authors,  we 
are  assured  that,  "This  ad- 
dress is  here  correctly  printed 
for  the  first  time,  from  the 
original  manuscript,  having 
been  written  down  immediate- 
ly after  the  train  started, 
partly  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  own 
hand  and  partly  by  that  of 
his  private  secretary  from  his 
dictation." 

"MY  FBIENDS: — No  one,  not  in  my 
situation,  can  appreciate  my  feeling  of 
sadness  at  this  parting.  To  this  place, 
and  the  kindness  of  these  people,  I  owe 
everything.  Here  I  have  lived  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century,  and  have  passed  from 
a  young  to  an  old  man.  Here  my  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  and  one  is  buried. 
I  now  leave,  not  knowing  when  or 
whether  ever  I  may  return,  with  a  task 
before  me  greater  than  that  which 
rested  upon  Washington.  Without  the  • 
assistance  of  that  Divine  Being  who 
ever  attended  him,  I  cannot  succeed. 
With  that  assistance,  I  cannot  fail. 
Trusting  in  Him,  who  can  go  with  me, 
and  remain  with  you,  and  be  every- 
where for  good,  let  us  confidently  hope 
that  all  will  yet  be  well.  To  His  care 
commending  you,  as  I  hope  in  your 
prayers  you  will  commend  me,  I  bid 
you  an  affectionate  farewell." 


114  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  letter  to  Eliza  P.  Gurney  was  read  by 
Mr.  J.  C.  Power,  who,  by  way  of  prelude,  said : 

We  all  know  that,  during  the  war  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  President  LINCOLN 
was  frequently  waited  upon  by  delegations  from  religious  bodies.  Among  others, 
a  large  number  of  women  belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  gave  him  a  call. 
One  of  their  number,  the  widow  of  Joseph  John  Gurney,  a  distinguished  Quaker 
preacher  of  England,  though  herself  an  American,  afterwards  wrote  him  a  letter. 
His  reply  will  ever  be  highly  prized,  because  it  contains  such  emphatic  and 
unequivocal  expressions  of  his  belief  in  the  overruling  providence  of  God. 

LETTER  TO  MBS.  GUBNEY. 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 
WASHINGTON,  Sept.  4, 1884. 

ELIZA  P.  GTJKNEY:  MY  ESTEEMED  FRIEND — I  have  not  forgotten — probably 
never  shall  forget — the  very  impressive  occasion  when  yourself  and  friends  visited 
me,  on  a  Sabbath  forenoon,  two  years  ago ;  nor  has  your  kind  letter,  written  nearly 
a  year  later,  ever  been  forgotten.  In  all,  it  has  been  your  purpose  to  strengthen  my 
reliance  on  God.  I  am  much  indebted  to  the  good  Christian  people  of  this  coun- 
try, for  their  constant  prayers  and  consolations;  and  to  no  one  of  them,  more  than 
to  yourself.  The  purposes  of  the  Almighty  are  perfect,  and  must  prevail;  though 
we  erring  mortals  may  fail  to  accurately  perceive  them  in  advance.  We  hoped  for 
a  happy  termination  of  this  terrible  war  long  before  this;  but  God  knows  best,  and 
has  ruled  otherwise.  We  shall  yet  acknowledge  His  wisdom  and  our  own  error 
therein.  Meanwhile,  we  must  work  earnestly  in  the  best  light  He  gives,  trusting 
that  so  working  still  conduces  to  the  great  ends  He  ordains.  Surely,  He  intends 
some  great  good  to  follow  this  mighty  convulsion,  which  no  mortal  could  make,, 
and  no  mortal  could  stay. 

Your  people,  the  Friends,  have  had,  and  are  having,  a  very  great  trial.  On 
principle  and  faith,  opposed  to  both  war  and  oppression,  they  can  only  practically 
oppose  oppression  by  war.  In  this  hard  dilemma,  some  have  chosen  one  horn  and 
some  the  other.  For  those  appealing  to  me  on  conscientious  grounds,  I  have  done, 
and  shall  do,  the  best  I  could  and  can,  in  my  own  conscience,  under  my  oath  to- 
the  law.  That  you  believe  this  I  doubt  not ;  and  believing  it,  I  shall  still  receive, 
for  our  country  and  myself,  your  earnest  prayers  to  our  Father  in  Heaven. 

Your  sincere  friend, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

"THE  BATTLE  HYMN  OF  THE  EEPTJBLIC,"  by  Mrs.  Samuel 
G.  Howe,  was  sung  by  the  Quintette  Club. 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord ; 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath  are  stored ; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  His  terrible  swift  sword ; 
His  truth  is  marching  on. 

CHORUS — Glory!  Glory  Hallelujah! 

Glory!  Glory!  Glory  Hallelujah! 
C.lorv!  Glory  Halleluiah! 

His  truth  is  marching  on. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  115 

I  have  seen  Him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred  circling  camps, 
They  have  builded  Him  an  altar  in  the  evening  dews  and  damps ; 
I  can  read  His  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and  flaring  lamps ; 
His  day  is  marching  on. 

CHORUS — 

I  have  read  a  fiery  gospel  writ  in  burnished  rows  of  steel ; 
"As  ye  deal  with  my  contemners,  so  with  you  my  grace  shall  deal ;" 
Let  the  hero  born  of  woman  crush  the  serpent  with  His  heel, 
Since  God  is  marching  on. 

CHOBTJS — 

He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat ; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judgment  seat ; 
Oh!  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him,  be  jubilant  my  feet! 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 

CHORUS — 

In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  His  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me  ; 
As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on. 

CHORUS — 

After  which,  Mr.  Clinton  L.  Conkling  read  the  Second  In- 
augural Address  of  President  LINCOLN. 

FELLOW  COUNTRYMEN. — At  this  second  appearing  to  take  the  oath  of  the 
Presidential  office,  there  is  less  occasion  for  an  extended  address  than  there  was- 
at  the  first.  Then  a  statement  somewhat  in  detail  of  a  course  to  be  pursued 
seemed  very  fitting  and  proper.  Now,  at  the  expiration  of  four  years,  during: 
which  public  declarations  have  been  constantly  called  forth  on  every  point  and 
phase  of  the  great  contest  which  still  absorbs  the  attention  and  engrosses  the 
energies  of  the  Nation,  little  that  is  new  could  be  presented. 

The  progress  of  our  arms — upon  which  all  else  chiefly  depends — is  as  well 
known  to  the  public  as  to  myself  ;  and  it  is,  I  trust,  reasonably  satisfactory  and 
encouraging  to  all.  With  high  hope  for  the  future,  no  prediction  hi  regard  to  it  is 
ventured. 

On  the  occasion  corresponding  to  this  four  years  ago,  all  thoughts  were  anxiously 
directed  to  an  impending  civil  war.  All  dreaded  it ;  all  sought  to  avoid  it.  While 
the  inaugural  address  was  being  delivered  from  this  place,  devoted  altogether  to- 
saving  the  Union  without  war,  insurgent  agents  were  in  the  city  seeking  to  de- 
stroy it  without  war — seeking  to  dissolve  the  Union  and  divide  the  effects  by  ne- 
gotiation. 

Both  parti  os  deprecated  war ;  but  one  of  them  would  make  war  rather  than  let 
the  Nation  survive,  and  the  other  would  accept  war  rather  than  let  it  perish,  and 
the  war  came. 

One-eighth  of  the  whole  population  were  colored  slaves,  not  distributed  gener- 
ally over  the  Union,  but  localized  in  the  Southern  part  of  it.  These  slaves  con- 
stituted a  peculiar  and  powerful  interest.  All  knew  that  this  interest  was,  some- 
how, the  cause  of  the  war.  To  strengthen,  perpetuate  and  extend  this  interest 
was  the  object  for  which  the  insurgents  would  rend  the  Union  even  by  war,  while 
the  government  claimed  no  right  to  do  more  than  to  restrict  the  territorial  enlarge- 
ment of  it. 


116  THE   LINCOLN   GUARD   OF   HONOR. 

Neither  party  expected  for  the  war  the  magnitude  or  the  duration  which  it  has 
already  attained.  Neither  anticipated  that  the  cause  of  the  conflict  might  cease, 
with  or  even  before  the  conflict  itself  should  cease.  Each  looked  for  an  easier 
triumph  and  a  result  less  fundamental  and  astounding. 

Both  read  the  same  Bible  and  pray  to  the  same  God,  and  each  invokes  His  aid 
against  the  other.  It  may  seem  strange  that  any  men  should  dare  to  ask  a  just 
God's  assistance  in  wringing  their  bread  from  the  sweat  of  other  men's  faces  ;  but 
let  us  judge  not,  that  we  be  not  judged.  The  prayers  of  both  could  not  be  answered. 
That  of  neither  has  been  answered  fully.  The  Almighty  has  His  own  purposes. 
"Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offences,  for  it  must  needs  be  that  offences  come ; 
but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence  cometh.  If  we  shall  suppose  that  Ameri- 
can slavery  is  one  of  these  offences — which,  in  the  providence  of  God,  must  needs 
come,  but  which,  having  continued  through  His  appointed  time,  He  now  wills  to 
remove,  and  that  he  gives  to  both  North  and  South  this  terrible  war  as  the  woe 
due  to  those  by  whom  the  offence  came — shall  we  discern  therein  any  departure 
from  those  Divine  attributes  which  the  believers  in  a  living  God  always  ascribe  to 
Him?  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty  scourge  of  war 
may  speedily  pass  away.  Yet,  if  God  wills  that  it  continue  until  all  the  wealth 
piled  by  the  bondman's  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  unrequitted  toil  shall  be 
sunk,  and  until  every  drop  of  blood  drawn  with  the  lash  shall  be  paid  with  another 
drawn  by  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be  said, 
the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether. 

With  malice  towards  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God 
gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in,  to  bind  up 
the  Nation's  wound,  to  care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his 
widow  and  orphans ;  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  a  lasting 
peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all  nations. 

Rev.  W.  B.  Affleck,  of  York,  England,  a  Methodist  Epis- 
copal minister  and  lecturer,  who  had  risen  from  the  position 
of  a  coal  miner,  electrified  .all  hearts  in  the  delivery  of  the  fol- 
lowing three  minute  address. 

The  sorrow  and  sympathy  of  The  Guards  of  Honor,  citizens,  admiring  friends 
and  of  the  many  strangers  whose  cheeks  are  also  moistened  with  tears,  who  are 
assembled  here  on  this  momentously  solemn  occasion,  lead  me  to  repeat  an 
ancient  though  appropriate  question — "Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead,  is  there  no  phy- 
sician there?  \Vhy  then  is  the  hurt  of  my  people  not  healed?" 

Why,  aye,  why?  Because  no  such  wound  as  we  are  gathered  here  to  commemo- 
rate was  ever  before  inflicted,  and  no  hurt  was  ever  before  so  universally  felt.  In 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN'S  death  humanity  lost  a  loyal  and  beneficent  representative, 
the  oppressed  colored  race  its  champion,  emancipator,  and  this  great  Nation  its 
political  and  patriotic  savior.  He  had  love  too  ardent,  sympathies  too  deep,  a  soul 
too  large,  a  heart  too  tender  and  a  mission  too  catholic  and  comprehensive  for  any 
other  country  but  this  limitless  and  liberty-loving 

"  Land  of  the  free 
And  home  of  the  brave." 

His  great  achievements  inspired  hope  in  the  poorest  of  the  poor.  His  honesty 
placed  merchandise  and  law  on  a  higher  plane.  His  becoming  and  uniform 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  117 

humanity  gave  worthy  example  to  the  rich  and  the  great.  His  willing  and  indus- 
trious hand  gave  a  dignity  to  honest  toil.  His  graceful  carriage  and  kindly  de- 
meanor under  highest  honors  gave  a  lesson  to  all  rulers,  and  his  noble  life, 
crowned  with  a  martyr's  death,  gave  testimony  to  a  witnessing  world  that  it  is 
greater  and  diviner  to  die  in  a  good  cause  than  to  live  to  see  a  Nation's  liberties 
sacrificed.  For 

"  Whether  on  the  scaffold  high, 

Or  in  the  battle's  van  ; 
The  fittest  place  for  man  to  die 
Is,  when  he  dies  for  fellow  man." 

In  this  country's  future  the  pure  life  and  patriotic  though  tragic  death  of 
"LINCOLN  the  Good,"  will  inspire  a  spirit  of  Christian  chivalry  in  tens  of  thousands 
of  America's  stalwart  sons,  and  will  give  them  a  certainty  that 

"Freedom's  battles  once  begun, 
Bequeathed  from  bleeding  sire  to  son, 
Though  baffled  oft  are  always  won." 

GUARDS  OF  HONOR: — May  God  bless  you  for  organizing  to  guard  the  fair  fame 
and  the  good  name  of  honest  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  Yours  is  a  sacred  trust.  This 
is  a  fine  monument.  Its  sparkling  granite  making  it  imperishable  but  fitly  symbo- 
lizes the  enduring  loyalty  of  our  own  LINCOLN  to  truth,  goodness  and  God. 

In  England  we  teach  our  children  to  love  its  Cromwell.  In  Scotland  they  teach 
their  children  to  love  its  William  Wallace:  In  Ireland  they  teach  their  children  to 
love  its  Daniel  O'Connell.  In  Switzerland  they  teach  their  children  to  love  its 
Winkelried.  In  Italy  they  teach  their  children  to  love  its  Garibaldi.  In  America, 
humanity's  refuge  and  freedom's  hope  and  home,  teach,  oh  teach  your  children  to 
love,  ever  love,  its  Washington  the  Securer  and  LINCOLN  the  Conservator  of  a 
Nation  united,  prosperous  and  free. 

"Then  heart  to  heart 
And  hand  to  hand 
Bound  together  let  us  stand; 
Storms  are  gathering 

O'er  the  land, 

Many  friends  are  gone. 
Still  we  never  are  alone. 
Still  the  battle  must  be  won. 
Still  we  bravely  march  right  on — 

Eight  on — Eight  on  !  " 

_  GOVERNOR  SHELBY  M.  CULLOM,  being  called  on,  delivered 
the  following  impromtu  address: 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — I  am  very  much  gratified  that  the  President  of  the 
Association  made  the  remark  that  he  did,  that  I  was  unexpectedly  present,  because 
you  might  suppose  that  I  had  an  address  for  the  occasion.  I  have  not,  and  did 
not  expect  to  say  one  word  when  I  came  upon  the  ground  <i  few  minutes  ago,  and 
I  would  decline  to  do  so  now  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  I  feel  it  is  the  duty  of 
every  person  to  give  countenance  and  encouragement  to  the  movement  that  has 
been  made  by  our  friends  here,  in  perfecting  the  organization  of  what  is  called 


THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

"The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor."  It  is  what  ought  to  be  done.  I  have  always  be- 
lieved, my  friends,  that  as  we  receded  in  time  from  the  period  in  which  Mr.  LIN- 
COLN lived,  we  would  come  to  more  and  more  appreciate  his  life  and  his  service  to 
the  country.  And  this  movement  convinces  me  more  than  ever  that  such  is  going 
to  be  the  fact. 

As  the  Nation  moves  forward  in  civilization  and  political  development,  its  people 
•will  more  and  more  appreciate  the  life  of  ABKAHAM  LINCOLN.  I  was  thinking,  as 
Mr.  Conkling  read  that  inaugural  address,  of  the  grandeur  of  the  sentiment  con- 
tained in  it:  "With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all."  I  forget  the  exact 
•words  of  the  balance  of  that  sentence;  but  think,  my  friends,  of  such  words  uttered 
by  a  man  who  had  been  struggling  with  all  the  energy  and  power  that  belonged  to 
a  great  man  at  the  head  of  a  nation.  I  say,  think  of  such  words  in  the  midst  of 
such  a  struggle,  saying  to  the  people:  "With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for 
all,  let  us.  go  forward  in  our  work,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right." 

•And  so  with  that  sort  of  a  heart,  with  that  sort  of  a  soul,  with  that  sort  of  a 
manhood,  he  led  the  Nation  through  the  trials  through  which  it  had  to  pass  and 
saved  it  from  overthrow  by  rebellion,  and  freed  the  people  of  this  land,  who,  dur- 
ing the  existence  of  the  Nation,  had  been  clogged  in  the  manacles  of  slavery.  I 
eay,  in  that  spirit  this  Nation  was  saved,  and  as  it  was  saved  he  was  stricken  down 
who  uttered  those  words  to  us,  to  you,  to  your  children,  and  to  the  generations 
which  are  to  come  after  us,  "With  charity  for  all,  with  malice  toward  none." 

I  tell  you,  my  friends,  you  may  read  the  scriptures  over  and  over,  but  you  will 
find  no  sentiment  that  is  purer,  no  sentiment  that  is  nobler,  no  sentiment  that  is 
grander,  within  the  lids  of  any  book  which  you  may  open  upon  any  occasion. 

I  would  not  say  another  word,  but  that  I  see  here  a  number  of  ladies  especially 
who  are  strangers  in  our  city,  and  who,  perhaps,  are  not  as  well  acquainted  with 
the  personal  life  of  Mr.  LINCOLN  as  some  of  us  here  at  his  home.  It  was  my 
fortune  to  know  Mr.  LINCOLN  from  the  time  I  was  as  old  as  any  of  the  smaller 
children  here  in  this  audience.  I  knew  him  from  the  time  I  was  a  little  boy,  and 
his  whole  life,  whether  private  or  public,  is  just  what  you  see  it  in  his  inaugural 
address,  in  these  letters  that  you  have-read,  and  in  all  his  great  public  utterances 
that  are  familiar  to  almost  any  one  who  reads  at  all.  He  was  a  man  worthy  of 
imitation  in  the  family  and  in  all  circles  and  ramifications  in  society  ;  he  was  a 
quiet  man,  he  was  a  modest  man,  he  was  a  just  man,  and  he  was  everything  so  far 
as  a  man  could  be,  apparently,  to  make  him  a  fit  man  to  take  care  of  the  interests 
of  a  great  nation  and  set  an  example  before  a  free  people  worthy  to  follow.  I 
believe  it  is  said  in  early  history  that  mothers  used  to  point  to  Alexander  and  say 
to  their  children,  be  like  him,  and  as  was  well  said  by  our  distinguished  friend 
here,  Mr.  Affleck,  awhile  ago,  referring  to  Washington  and  Lincoln,  the  mothers  of 
America  can,  with  just  pride,  say  to  their  children,  be  like  Washington  and  LIN- 
COLN. 

LINCOLN'S  favorite  poem,  "0  WHY  SHOULD  THE  SPIRIT  OF 
MORTAL  BE  PROUD?"  written  in  1778  by  Alexander  Knox,  of 
Edinburg,  Scotland,  was  read  by  Mrs.  Edward  S.  Johnson, 
the  wife  of  one  of  our  members: 

Oh!  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud? — 
Like  a  swift-fleeing  meteor,  a  fast-flying  cloud, 
A  flash  of  the  lightning,  a  break  of  the  wave, 
He  passeth  from  life  to  his  rest  in  the  grave 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

The  leaves  of  the  oak  and  the  willow  shall  fade, 
Be  scattered  around  and  together  be  laid; 
And  the  young  and  the  old,  and  the  low  and  the  high. 
Shall  moulder  to  dust  and  together  shall  lie. 

The  infant,  a  mother  attended  and  loved: 
The  mother,  that  infant's  affection  who  proved; 
The  husband,  that  mother  and  infant  who  blest,— 
Each,  all,  are  away  to  their  dwellings  of  rest. 

The  maid  on  whose  cheek,  on  whose  brow,  in  whose  eye. 
Shone  beauty  and  pleasure— her  triumphs  are  by, 
And  the  memory  of  those  who  loved  her  and  praised, 
Are  alike  from  the  minds  of  the  living  erased. 

The  hand  of  the  king,  that  the  sceptre  hath  borne. 
The  brow  of  the  priest,  that  the  mitre  hath  worn, 
The  eye  of  the  sage  and  the  heart  of  the  brave, 
Are  hidden  and  lost  in  the  depths  of  the  grave. 

The  peasant,  whose  lot  was  to  sow  and  to  reap, 
The  herdsman,  who  climbed  with  his  goats  up  the  steep, 
The  beggar  who  wandered  in  search  of  his  bread,' 
Have  faded  away  like  the  grass  that  we  tread. 

The  saint,  who  enjoyed  the  communion  of  heaven. 
The  sinner,  who  dared  to  remain  unforgiven, 
The  wise  and  the  foolish,  the  guilty  and  just, 
Have  quietly  mingled  their  bones  in  the  dust. 

So  the  multitude  goes— like  the  flower  or  the  weed, 
That  withers  away  to  let  others  succeed; 
So  the  multitude  comes— even  those  we  behold, 
To  repeat  every  tale  that  has  often  been  told; 

For  we  are  the  same  our  fathers  have  been; 
"We  see  the  same  sights  our  fathers  have  seen: 
"We  drink  the  same  stream,  we  view  the  same  sun. 
And  run  the  same  course  our  fathers  have  run. 

The  thoughts  we  are  thinking,  our  fathers  would  think; 
From  the  death  we  are  shrinking,  our  fathers  would  shrink; 
To  the  life  we  are  clinging,  they  also  would  cling- 
But  it  speeds  from  us  all,  like  the  bird  on  the  wing. 

'They  loved— but  the  story  we  cannot  unfold: 
They  scorned-rbut  the  heart  of  the  haughty  is  cold; 
'They  grieved— but  no  wail  from  their  plumber  will  come; 
They  joyed— but  the  tongue  of  their  gladness  is  dumb. 

They  died— ay,  they  died— we  things  that  are  now, 
That  walk  on  the  turf  that  lies  over  their  brow, 
And  make  in  their  dwellings  a  transient  abode, 
Meet  the  things  that  they  met  on  their  pilgrimage  road. 

Yea!  hope  and  despondency,  pleasure  and  pain, 
Are  mingled  together  in  sunshine  and  rain; 
And  the  smile  and  the  tear,  the  song  and  the  dirge. 
Still  follow  each  other,  like  surge  upon  surge. 

*Tis  the  wink  of  an  eye— 'tis  the  draught  of  a  breath. 
From  the  blossom  of  health  to  the  paleness  of  death; 
From  the  gilded  saloon  to  the  bier  and  the  shroud:— 
Oh!  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud? 


120  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

The  song,  "LET  THE  PRESIDENT  SLEEP,"  by  James  M. 
Stewart,  was  then  sung  by  the  Quintette  Club. 

Let  the  President  sleep;  all  his  duty  is  done. 
He  has  lived  for  our  glory,  the  triumph  is  won. 
At  the  close  of  the  fight,  like  a  warrior  brave, 
He  retires  from  the  field  to  the  rest  of  the  grave. 

Hush  the  roll  of  the  drum;  hush  the  cannon's  loud  roar: 
He  will  guide  us  to  peace  through  the  battle  no  more. 
But  now  freedom  shall  dawn  from  the  place  of  his  rest, 
Where  the  star  has  gone  down  in  the  beautiful  West 

Tread  lightly,  breathe  softly,  and  gratefully  bring, 
To  the  sod  that  enfolds  him  the  first  flow'r  of  Spring. 
They  will  tenderly  treasure  the  tears  that  we  weep. 
O'er  the  grave  of  our  chief.    Let  the  President  sleep. 

Let  the  President  sleep !    tears  will  hallow  the  ground. 
Where  we  raise  o'er  his  ashes  the  sheltering  mound; 
And  his  spirit  will  sometimes  return  from  above, 
There  to  .mingle  with  others  in  ineffable  love. 

Peace  to  thee,  noble  dead;  thou  hast  battled  the  right, 
And  hast  won  high  reward  from  the  Father  of  Light. 
Peace  to  thee  martyr  hero,  and  sweet  be  thy  rest, 
When  the  sunlight  fades  out  in  the  beautiful  West. 

The  ceremonies  were  concluded  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Noble,  of  the- 
First  M.  E.  Church,  who  pronounced  the  benediction  as  fol- 
lows : 

,  •  • 

May  the  bessing  of  God — the  God  of  Nations — who  giveth  peace  as  man  doth 
not  give  ;  the  blessing  of  the  God  of  our  fathers ;  the  God  of  Washington  and 
LINCOLN,  be  upon  us,  upon  our  country,  upon  our  whole  country,  preserving  us 
from  eternal  istrife — and  lifting  us  to  purity  of  National  life,  so  we  may  continue  a 
free  and  good  people,  now  and  forever,  for  Christ's  sake.  Amen. 

The  programme  was  completed  within  an  hour.    As  it  pro- 

'  gressed,  the  sun  penetrated  and  dispelled  the  mist  and  clouds, 

and  many  to-day,  no  doubt,  cherish  pleasant  recollections  of 

the  first  Memorial   service   conducted   by  The  Lincoln  Guard 

of  Honor. 

A  number  of  letters  of  regret  from  prominent  persons  in- 
ivited   to  attend    the   services   were   received.     The  following 
I  extract  from  the  letter  of  Lt.-Gov.  Andrew  Shuman  will  be  qL 
interest : 

It  is  well  and  proper  that  the  citizens  of  Mr.  LINCOLN'S  own  home  city,  near 
•which  his  remains  lie  entombed,  should  set  an  example  to  the  rest  of  the  country 
!  by  commemorating  the  anniversaries  of  the  terrible  tragedy  by  which  he  was 
taken  off.  Whatever  can  be  said  or  done  by  his  surviving  countrymen  to  keep  his 
memory  fresh,  and  to  recall  to  mind  and  contemplation  his  patriotic  devotion  and 
his  wise  words,  will  be  a  sendee  to  the  country  he  loved  and  the  Union  he  saved. 
May  his  name  and  his  services  live  forever  in  all  good  hearts  and  minds. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  121 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  April  27, 
1880,  after  the  transaction  of  the  necessary  routine  business- 
connected  with  the  previous  Memorial  service,  on  motion  it- 
was 

Resolved,  That  each  of  the  fifteen  members  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
Association,  are  hereby  elected  honorary  members  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
and  are  invited  to  attend  at  pleasure  the  meetings  and  memorial  exercises  held  by 
the  latter,  and  at  all  times  advise  and  consult  with  the  members  of  the  same,  upon 
any  and  all  subjects  calculated  to  keep  in  grateful  remembrance  the  name  and  ser- 
vices of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Resolved,  That  this  Guard  of  Honor  adjourn  to  meet  on  Decoration  Day  (May 
29),  at  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  to  take  part  in  the  exercises  connected 
with  decorating  the  graves  of  those  who  died  in  assisting  to  suppress  the  slave- 
holders' rebellion. 

CATACOMB  OF  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 

DECORATION  DAY,  SATURDAY,  MAY  29, 1880, 

HALF  PAST  TWO  O'CLOCK  P.  M. 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  near  the  door  of 
the  catacomb. 

Present — Danxi,  Reece,  McNeill,  Power,  Chapin,  Lindley, 
Wiggins,  Johnson  and  Conkling,  every  member. 

The  Monument  had  previously  been  decorated  by  ladies,  on 
the  part  of  Stephenson  Post  No.  30,  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  The  sar- 
cophagus was  completely  covered  with  white  roses.  During 
the  forenoon,  the  rain  had  fallen  in  torrents,  but  cleared 
about  noon. 

Before  approaching  the  Monument,  the  members  of  The 
Guard  of  Honor  had  united  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public,— many  of  them  being  members  of  the  latter  organiza,- 
tion, — in  decorating  the  graves  of  the  Union  soldiers  buried 
in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery. 

On  arriving  at  the  Monument  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
by  previous  arrangement,  assumed  the  precedence.  President 
G.  S.  Dana,  conducting  the  services,  introduced  Rev.  W.  B, 
Affleck,  who  offered  the  following: 

INVOCATION. 

Oh,  Thou  great  and  merciful  God,  before  whose  high  throne  we  bow,  be  pleased 
to  hear  our  supplications,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake.  While  we  now  stand  with  bowed 
spirits  in  Thy  temple  of  nature,  under  the  sunshine  of  Heaven,  and  under  the 
shadow  of  the  imperishable  monument  of  a  grand  soul  that  is  one  of  the  brightest 
who  is  now  with  Thee,  we  thank  Thee,  Oh,  we  thank  Thee  for  putting  it  into  the 
hearts  of  these  kind  people  to  plant  these  beautiful  flowers  on  the  graves  of  the- 

-8 


122  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

immortal  dead,  for  though  dead  they  yet  live,  and  ever  will,  not  only  in  their 
bright  mansions,  but  in  the  memory  of  those  brave  comrades  who  still  survive. 

Oh,  God,  we  pray  Thee  comfort  the  widow  of  the  good  Lincoln,  and  mercifully 
Mess  his  promising  son.  And  do,  oh  Lord,  bless  this  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
and  may  they  be  rewarded  for  organizing  to  defend  a  name  that  now  creates 
.grateful  joy  in  the  hearts  of  thousands.  Grant  that  the  battle  begun  by  our  sleep- 
ing chief,  may  be  continued  by  these  Guards  until  all  wrong  shall  die,  and  right 
and  righteousness'  shall  alone  guide  Thy  universe,  and  the  world  in  which  Thou 
permitted  us  to  so  happily  live.  Help  us  to  be  valiant  and  virtuous  till  we  all_ 
meet  in  Heaven,  and  this  we  ask  for  the  dear  Redeemer's  sake.  Amen. 

The  door  of  the  catacomb  was  then  opened,  and  taking  a 
position  in  front, 

CLINTON  L.   CONKLING, 

^i  member  of  The  Guard  of  Honor,  then  delivered  the  follow- 
ing address: 

MY  FKIENDS — Standing  on  hallowed  ground,  here  on  this  Decoration  Day, 
•which,  with  its  flowers,  speaking  of  the  past  unto  the  present,  recalls  the  sad  and 
solemn  thoughts  of  the  dark  days  of  the  war.  I  seem  to  hear  again  ihe  deep  wail 
of  anguish  which  went  up  from  every  loyal  breast,  when  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  died. 
Never  was  a  great  Nation's  Jieart  more  deeply  stirred.  The  intensity  of  its  emo- 
tion, showed  the  depth  of  its  love.  Men  would  have  given  up  life,  could  he  but 
have  lived. 

Through  a  grief  stricken  people  by  sorrowing  friends  he  was  brought  to  his 
home.  No  warm  living  words  came  from  his  lips  to  greet  the  thronging  thousands, 
who,  in  silence,  pressed  to  his  bier.  Calm  and  unmoved  were  the  careworn  fea- 
tures, though  a  Nation  would  have  thrilled  to  have  seen  but  a  smile.  The  Presi- 
dent was  dead.  We  laid  him  to  rest  in  the  heart  of  his  own  loved  State,  midst 
the  scenes  of  his  triumphs  and  by  the  home  of  his  longing  desire.  They  said  his 
•work  was  done — well  done  and  finished.  We  wept  and  waited,  and  each  receding  . 
year  has  but  more  clearly  revealed  the  noble  character  of  the  departed  hero.  On 
every  hand  we  see  that  his  work  was  not  done,  nor  will  it  be  done  till  the  name  of 
the  Nation  he  loved  and  saved  shall  have  passed  into  the  dim  shadows  of  antiquity, 
and  history  be  no  more. 

Men  of  ah1  ages  will  look  to  him  as  a  guide,  and  many  a  youth  now  struggling 
against  poverty  and  difficulty  will,  animate'd  by  his  example,  rise  to  manhood  and 
victory.  His  work  is  not  done.  In  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  he  still  lives,  an 
inspiration  to  noble  living,  patriotic  devotion  and  pure  statesmanship.  For  fifteen 
years  loving  hearts  have  remembered  the  martyr  President,  and  kind  hands  have 
laid  spring's  choicest  flowers  upon  his  tomb.  His  friends  and  neighbors,  one  after 
another,  are  passing  this  spot,  each  to  his  own  narrow  resting  place  on  yonder 
grassy  slopes.  The  hand  of  time  is  pressing  heavily  on  those  who  remain,  and 
their  faces  are  each  year  turning  more  and  more  towards  that  last  home  of  the  . 
Tx>dy,  in  whose  city  we  to-day  stand. 

From  the  ranks  of  the  old  soldiers,  each  year  go  forth  those  who  no  more 
join  with  us  in  the  services  of  Decoration  Day,  but  who  still  have  a  part  in  it, 
because  they  are  of  that  number  whom  we  this  day  remember  with  wreaths  of 
.flowers,  emblenrs  of  victory  and  immortality.  There  will  be  a  day  when  the  last. 


THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR.  123 

^veteran,  with  bowed  form  and  with  eyes  dimmed  by  age  and  tears,  will  place  with 
trembling  hands  his  offerings  upon  this,  and  then  others  will  lay  him  gently  to 
rest  beside  his  comrades. 

Before  this  day  comes,  younger  hearts  must  know  the  story  of  lives  laid  down 
for  love  of  country,  and  younger  hands  must  learn  to  do  the  work  of  love  which 
we  this  day  have  done.  To  this  coming  generation,  and  those  which  will  follow, 
the  precious  dust  which  lies  within  these  granite  walle  is  a  holy  heritage,  to  be 
guarded  with  care,  and  this  is  the  sacred  trust  which  has  devolved  upon  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  who  here  to-day,  surrounded  by  brotherly  hearts,  lay 
their  floral  offerings  over  the  remains,  the  care  and  protection  of  which  it  is  their 
duty  to  undertake. 

While  we  thus  honor  the  departed,  we  appeal  to  the  living,  never  to  forget  them 
nor  their  deeds.  The  golden  chain  of  memory,  to  which  this  day  adds  another 
link,  binds  us  to  too  rich  a  past  to  be  idly  broken.  From  its  stories  of  devotion 
and  self-sacrifice  draw  lessons  of  present  need,  and  let  not  the  life's  blood  of  the 
humble  private  and  the  great  chief  have  been  shed  in  vain.  Revere  the  noble 
dead— love  the  re-united  country  for  which  they  died,  and  never,  by  word  or  deed, 
dishonor  the  grand  old  flag  whose  starry  folds  are  a  Nation's  standard. 

The  wives  of  the  members  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
had  prepared  nine  wreaths  of  evergreen  and  nine  boquets.  At 
the  close  of  the  address,  one  of  each  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  nine  members  of  The  Guard  of  Honor.  At  the  word 
of  command  from  President  Dana,  the  Guard  moved  in  a 
body,  into  the  Catacomb,  and  laid  their  wreaths  upon  the 
bed  of  roses  on  the  sarcophagus,  lapping  one  upon  another 
so  as  to  cover  the  entire  length  of  the  sarcophagus.  The 
nine  boquets  were  then  placed  in  upright  positions  within  the 
loops  formed  by  the  overlapping  wreaths.  Thus  ended  the 
decoration  ceremonies  on  the  part  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor. 

As  many  of  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public as  could  do  so,  entered  the  catacomb  with  The 
Guard  of  Honor.  The  procession  then  moved  to  the  east 
side  of  the  Monument,  where  a  congregation  of  citizens  had 
assembled,  and  the  exercises  were  closed  on  the  part  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  by  an  address  from  Adjutant 
General  H.  H.  Hilliard. 

At  a  business  meeting  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  at 
the  Leland  Hotel,  Dec.  2,  1880,  an  informal  discussion  was 
held  as  to  the  manner  we  should  observe  the  approaching 
anniversary  of  Lincoln's  birth,  and  the  prevailing  opinion 
arrived  at  was  that  it  would  be  imprudent  at  that  time  to 
incur  the  expense  necessary  to  make  it  a  success,  and  the 
subject  was  dismissed. 


124  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


DIVISION  EIGHTH. 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-ONE. 


Second  Annual  Meeting  and  Election  of  Officers — Observance  of  the  Sixteenth. 
Anniversary  of  the  Death  of  Lincoln,  being  our  Second  Memorial  Service — 
Oration  by  Rev.  Dr.  Sturtevant,  an  exceedingly  valuable  contribution  to  His- 
tory and  to  Literture — Two  versions  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Address — 
Valuable  address  by  Hon.  H.  H.  Thomas— Reading  of  Selections  by  Clinton 
L.  Conkling — Address  by  Rev.  W.  B.  Affleck — Grand  Army  Services  at  the 
Monument — Decoration  of  the  Sarcophagus — The  Picture  that  constitutes  the- 
Frontispiece  to  this  Volume. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

LELAND  HOTEL,  February  12,  1881. 

7:30  O'CLOCK  p.  M. 

Second  annual  meeting  assembled   here  instead  of  at   the 
Monument,  in  consequence  of  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 
The  treasurer's   report  showed  that  the  receipts  and  dis- 
bursements for  the  year  had  been  $65.25  each.     Eeport  ap- 
proved. 

The  election  of  officers  was  next  held.  On  a  separate  ballot 
each,  G.  S.  Dana,  was  elected  President,  J.  N.  Reece,  Vice- 
President,  J.  C.  Power,  Secretary,  and  Jas.  F.  McNeill,  Treas- 
urer, all  for  one  year.  On  motion  it  was 

Resolved,  That  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  will  observe  the  Sixteenth  Anni- 
versary of  the  Death  of  President  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  holding  appropriate  ser- 
vices at  the  Catacomb  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  on  the  morning  of  April 
15,  1881,  beginning  at  seven  o'clock  and  twenty-two  minutes. 

Business  meetings  were  held  April  7th  and  12th,  chiefly  to 
prepare  for  the  observance  of  the  Sixteenth  Anniversary  of 
the  death  of  President  Lincoln. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  125 

OUR  SECOND  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

Programme  of  memorial  services,  to  be  held  on  the  sixteenth  anniversary  of  the 
-death  of  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  *  Services  will  begin  exactly  at  seven  o'clock  and 
twenty-two  minutes,  on  the  morning  of  April  15th,  corresponding  with  the  time  of 
President  Lincoln's  death.  They  will  be  held  at  the  Catacomb  of  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument,  under  the  auspices  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  A  cor- 
dial invitation  is  extended  to  all  citizens,  and  strangers  who  may  be  in  the  city,  to 
be  present  and  unite  in  the  services. 

ORDER  OF  EXEBCISES. 

TBAYEB,         -         -         By  Rev.  F.  D.  Rickerson,  of  the  Central  Baptist  Church. 
SINGING,    -  -  "America." 

By  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Chorus. 

Frank  M.  Wills,  Edward  Wills,  H.  M.  Call, 

Frank  L.  Fuller,  W.  F.  Freidinger,  Frank  Ruth. 

ADDRESS,  By  Rev.  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  D.  D.,  Jacksonville,  HI. 

HEADING,    ...  Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Speech. 

By  Rev.  T.  A.  Parker,  of  the  First  Methodist  Church. 

SINGING,  -  "Let  the  President  Sleep." 

ADDRESS,    -        -        By  Gen.  H.  H.  Thomas,  Speaker  House  of  Representatives. 
READING.         -  -  Extract  from  Speech  of  President  Lincoln, 

By  Clinton  L.  Conkling. 

ADDRESS,  ...  By  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Affleck,  York,  England. 

SINGING,      ...  " The  Call  of  the  Roll  on  High." 

JPBAYER  AND  BENEDICTION,      -    By  Rev.  Roswell  0.  Post,  of  the  Congregational 

Church. 

NEAB  THE  CATACOMB  OF  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  FRIDAY,  April  15,  1881, 
SEVEN  O'CLOCK  AND  TWENTY-TWO  MINUTES,  A.  M. 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  Assembled: 

Present — Dana,  Reece,  McNeill,  Power,  Wiggins,  Lindley, 
Conkling,  Johnson  and  Chapin.  Every  member  being  present, 
with  from  three  to  four  hundred  citizens  and  strangers.  An 
unusually  cold  wind  for  the  season  was  blowing  from  the 
west,  which  made  it  necessary  to  move  the  platform  from 
the  door  of  the  catacomb  to  the  east  side  of  the  Monument. 
The  sarcophagus  was  buried  in  evergreens,  flowers  and  flower- 
Ing  plants.  Festoons  of  flags  overhung  the  door  to  the 
catacomb. 

President  Dana  took  the  platform,  and  exactly  at  seven 
o'clock  and  twenty-two  minutes  introduced  Rev.  F.  D.  Rick- 
erson, pastor  of  the  Central  Baptist  Church,  who  offered  the 
following 


126  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

PRAYER. 

Lord,  thou  has  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  generations.  Before  the  moun- 
tains were  brought  forth  or  ever  thou  hast  formed  the  earth  or  the  world,  even, 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting  thou  art  God.  Thou  turnest  man  to  destruction 
and  sayest,  return,  ye  children  of  men.  for  a  thousand  years  in  thy  sight  are  but 
as  yesterday  when  it  is  passed,  and  as  the  watch  in  the  night. 

Here,  O  God,  in  the  presence  of  our  dead,  in  the  presence  of  a  Nation's  dead, 
we  recognize  thine  infinite  justice.  "We  remember  thy  boundless  mercy.  Thou 
turnest  man  to  destruction.  Judgment  and  justice  are  the  habitation  of  thy 
throne.  Yet  thou  rememberest  that  we  are  but  dust.  Thou  knowest  our  frame 
and  thou  lovest  us.  We  thank  thee,  0  God,  for  the  gift  of  this  great  man,  whose 
memory  we  come  to-day  to  venerate.  We  thank  thee  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
tender  father,  the  generous,  loving  neighbor  and  friend,  the  wise,  far-seeing  states- 
man, the  honored  and  revered  President  and  the  martyr  to  a  holy  faith  in  human 
liberty  and  National  unity.  And  though  in  thy  wise  and  inscrutable  providence  he 
fell  by  the  cowardly  hand  of  treason,  yet,  O  God,  we  thank  thee  that  out  of  that, 
chance  has  sprung  and  will  ever  spring  the  holiest  recollection,  the  purest  grati- 
tude and  the  noblest  aspiration  and  love  of  this  Nation,  for  which  he  died.  We- 
pray  thee,  O  God,  that  our  children  may  revere  his  memory,  imitate  his  virtues  and 
preserve  and  defend  this  Union,  cemented  by  his  blood. 

And  now,  O  God,  our  God,  we  pray  thee  to  bless  this  great  Nation  which  thou 
hast  brought  through  baptisms  of  fire  and  of  blood,  to  this  hour  of  prosperity  and 
peace.  Make  us  one,  0  God — one  in  holy  unity  for  the  honor  of  thy  name.  May 
we  be  a  people  whose  God  is  the  Lord,  a  Nation  exalted  by  righteousness.  Make 
us  one,  O  God,  make  us  glad  according  to  the  days  wherein  thou  hast  afflicted  us 
and  the  years  wherein  we  have  seen  evil.  Establish  the  work  of  thy  hands  upon 
us,  and  to  thy  name  will  we  give  the  glory — to  thy  name,  0  God  our  Father,  and 
to  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit  for  evermore.  Amen. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Chorus,  Frank  Wills,. 
Frank  Ruth,  Frank  L.  Fuller,  W.  Freidinger,  H.  M.  Call  and 
Edward  Wills,  sang  our  National  Hymn. 

AMERICA. 


BY  EEV.  S.  F.  SMITH,  D.  D. 


My  country  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 

Of  thee  we  sing:; 
Land  where  my  fathers  died; 
Land  of  the  pilgrim's  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring. 

My  native  country  thee, 
Land  of  the  noble  free, 

Thy  name  I  love. 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills, 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills, 

Like  that  above. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  127 

Let  music  swell  the  breeze, 
And  ring  from  all  the  trees 

Sweet  freedom's  song. 
Let  mortal  tongues  awake, 
Let  all  that  breathe  partake, 
.  Let  rocks  their  silence  break. 

The  sound  prolong. 

Our  fathers'  God— to  Thee, 
Author  of  Liberty, 

To  Thee  we  sing; 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  freedom's  holy  light- 
Protect  us  by  thy  might. 

Great  God  our  King. 

Rev.  Julian  M.  Sturtevant,  D.  D.,  ex-President  of  Illinois 
College,  at  Jacksonville,  then  delivered  an  address,  which,  on 
account  of  its  length,  I  would  reduce,  but  it  is  too  valuable 
for  me  to  mar  by  leaving*  any  part  of  it  buried  in  our  records, 
therefore  I  give  it  entire. 

DR.  STURTEVANT'S  ORATION. 

In  the  year  1865,  one  bright  April  morning,  I  was  on  the  street  near  my  own 
house  at  an  early  hour.  I  soon  met  a  neighbor.  As  he  approached  me  he  uttered 
words  too  horrible  for  me  to  comprehend.  They  shocked  and  appalled  me;  but  I 
did  not  seem  myself  to  comprehend  them.  The  truth  was  that  my  mind  re- 
fused to  admit  their  awful  import  to  be  a  possibility.  Overwhelmed  with  horror, 
I  asked  him  what  he  had  said.  His  words  fell  on  my  ear  clear  and  distinct,  with 
all  their  awful  import.  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated  last  night.  I  under- 
stood the  fact,  but  how  slowly  did  the  mind  rise  to  the  full  comprehension  of  all 
which  was  implied  in  the  dreadful  words,  President  Lincoln  assassinated  last  nignt! 

In  the  days  that  followed  that  dark  and  awful  morning,  the  world  beheld  such  a 
spectacle  of  a  Nation's  mourning,  as  the  sun  never  looked  down  on  before.  This 
looks  like  the  language  of  exaggeration;  I  do  not  so  use  it.  It  is  the  language  of 
simple  truth.  Let  us  interrogate  these  words,  and  ask  them  it  there  is  any  exag- 
geration in  them.  The  event  powerfully  suggested  the  mourning  of  the  Jewish 
people  when  Josiah  fell.  But  that  mourning  did  not  reach  across  a  continent.  It 
was  limited  to  the  little  country  of  Palestine,  shut  in  by  Mount  Lebanon  and  the 
Syrian  desert,  It  only  extended  for  a  hundred  or  two  miles  along  the  shores  of 
the  Mediterranean.  This  spread  over  hill  and  valley  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa- 
cific. Talk  of  Rome's  mourning,  when  Ca?sar  fell ;  or  of  the  mourning  of  France 
when  the  hand  of  the  assassin  struck  down  her  renowned  monarch,  Henry  IV;  of 
Russia,  when  Alexander  II,  the  liberator  of  her  serfs,  was  torn  in  pieces  in  the 
streets  of  his  own  capital,  by  an  infernal  missive  thrown  by  unseen  foes.  In  all 
these  cases  the  comparison  is  absurd,  and  can  affect  us  only  by  contrast. 

There  was,  indeed,  a  Roman  populace  that  mourned  for  Caesar;  but  of  all  the 
millions  that  inhabited  the  vast  territory  of  the  empire,  there  were  comparatively 
few  who  felt  one  heart  throb  of  sorrow  for  the  death  of  Ca3sar.  All  they  could 
wish  would  be  that  there  might  be  no  successor  to  overrun  their  country  by  iron 
tread  of  Roman  legions.  Few  of  the  people  of  France  could  feel  that  in  the  vio- 
lent death  of  the  head  of  the  French  monarchy,  they  had  lost  a  personal  friend 


130  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

more  sensitive  conscience  than  he.  He  felt  himself  bound  by  his  allegiance  and 
his  oath,  to  be  true  to  every  jot  and  tittle  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.. 
To  that  obligation  he  always  meant  to  be  scrupulously  faithful.  But  within  the 
limits  of  the  Constitution  he  always  meant  to  choose  universal  liberty,  when  he 
knew  its  alternative  was  universal  slavery.  He  who  understands  and  will  logically 
apply  that  principle,  will  perfectly  understand  the  public  career  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. '  For  that  principle  he  fearlessly  periled  his  all ;  and  thus  became  for  all 
posterity  the  great,  the  wise,  the  good.  He  won  a  reputation  which  assured  to 
him  everlasting  remembrance. 

Mr.  Lincoln  never  eoul.l  have  won  even  temporary  greatness  by  any  other 
means,  much  less  could  he  have  won  lasting  fame.  In  the  craft  of  the  mere  poli- 
tician, and  the  wiles  of  the  demagogue,  there  were  many  men  around  him  who 
were  greatly  his  superiors.  If  he  had  attempted  to  vanquish  them  in  the  use  of 
their  weapons,  he  would  soon  have  been  utterly  vanquished  in  the  conflict.  But 
worse  than  that,  he  would  have  suffered  all  the  agony  of  self-reproach.  He  had 
a  sublime  faith  in  truth,  and  righteousness,  and  God,  and  dared  to  risk  his  all 
upon  them ;  and  therefore  he  was  invincible. 

Not  long  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  I  remember  to  have  read  an  exceedingly- 
fine  compliment  of  him  as  a  Supreme  Court  lawyer,  from  one  of  his  brethren  at 
the  bar.  "Mr.  Lincoln,"  said  he,  "would  have  been  a  first  rate  Supreme  Court  law- 
yer, if  he  had  not  been  a  little  too  honest  sometimes,  and  thus  damage  a  bad  cause 
entrusted  to  him."  This  points  directly  to  one  of  the  most  fundamental  and  beauti- 
ful traits  of  character,  his  all  absorbing  love  of  truth,  and  its  necessary  conse- 
quence, that  perfect  candor,  in  which,  I  may  almost  say,  he  surpassed  all  the  other 
men  I  have  ever  known.  He  was  the  most  truthful  of  men.  When  I  had  spent  an 
hour  in  conversing  with  him,  I  always  left  him  with  the  most  undoubting  convic- 
tion that  I  knew  exactly  what  he  thought,  and  how  he  felt  on  the  subjects  on  which 
we  had  conversed,  at  least  so  far  as  he  had  attempted  to  express  himself  in  respect 
to  them.  This  quality  threw  a  wonderful  charm  over  even  his  political  speeches. 
He  had  a  magic  power  to  disarm  prejudice,  and  to  open  the  way  for  truth,  which 
he  desired  to  utter  to  the  inner  hearts  of  his  hearers.  This  is  the  reason  why  he 
had  more  power  than  most  other  men,  to  win  men  to  the  acceptance  of  truths 
which  in  their  first  announcement  were  unwelcome  to  his  hearers.  He  had  that 
most  desirable  power  to  a  greater  degree  than  most  other  men,  and  by  means  of 
it  he  extended  a  most  beneficial  influence  on  the  world. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  one  trait  of  character  which  pre-eminently  qualified  him  for 
the  great  part  he  was  to  act  in  the  deliverance  of  our  country  from  slavery,  the 
importance  of  which  has  not  often  been  noticed.  Every  great  social  reform  im- 
peratively demands  the  presence  and  activity  of  two  styles  of  character,  which 
are  not  only  unlike,  but  almost  contradictory  to  each  other.  They  are  the  des- 
structive  and  constructive  ;  the  function  of  the  former  being  to  agitate,  to  make 
men  conscious  of  the  diseases  under  which  society  is  suffering  and  keenly  alive 
to  the  urgent  need  of  a  remedy  at  whatever  cost.  The  function  of  the  construc- 
tive is  to  reconstruct  society  on  such  principles  as  to  eliminate  the  cause  or  causes 
of  existing  evils,  and  render  society  capable  of  healthy  action  and  growth.  The 
men  who  were  conspicuous  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  anti-slavery  struggle  were 
entirely  of  the  destructive  character.  It  must  necessarily  have  been  so.  Nothing 
could  then  be  done.  Apathy  of  a  most  alarming  character  had  fallen  upon  the 
body  politic.  It  had  become  in  a  great  degree  tolerant  of  slavery,  with  all  its  ten- 
dencies to  barbarism,  and  was  rapidly  becoming  accustomed  to  regard  it  as  a  nor- 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  131 

mal  part  of  the  National  Constitution,  and  inseparable  from  the  National  life.  The 
first  thing  which  could  be  done  was  to  rouse  the  Nation  from  this  fatal  lethargy, 
and  make  it  keenly  sensitive  to  the  morbid  symptoms  it  was  experiencing,  and 
alive  to  the  necessity  of  some  remedy.  This  is  the  first  stage  in  any  social  reform; 
and  in  that  stage  of  the  anti-slavery  reform,  the  burning  denunciatory  eloquence 
of  Garrison  and  his  associates,  applied  to  the  Nation  those  burning  caustics, 
which  alone  afforded  the  only  hope  of  rendering  the  patient  capable  of  cure. 
As  a  people  we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  men  of  that  school  which  we- 
can  never  repay.  They  dealt  in  nothing  but  caustics,  and  by  caustics  only  could 
we  be  roused  from  our  fatal  lethargy.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  said 
Wendell  Phillips,  is  a  covenant  with  death  and  a  league  with  hell,  because  it  toler- 
ated slavery.  When  heroic  treatment  had  irritated  the  body  politic  to  a  certain 
degree  of  vital  sensibility,  another  mode  of  treatment  became  necessary,  to  which 
these  men  were  quite  unaccustomed,  and  to  which  they  had  little  adaptation.  It 
was  to  propound  a  system  of  practical  statesmanship,  the  effect  of  which  would 
be  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  disease,  and  rally  the  healthful  forces  of  the  sys- 
tem to  resist  and  eradicate  the  morbid  influence.  The  commencement  of  this  cur- 
ative process,  dates  from  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  upon  the  per- 
fectly clear  and  definite  principle,  that  hereafter  slavery  was  to  be  regarded  as 
local,  and  freedom  was  to  be  National ;  freedom  the  principle,  slavery  a  local  ex- 
ception. That  exception  was  to  be  extended  no  farther.  The  principles  of  the- 
Republican  party  were  purely  constructive,  there  was  nothing  destructive  in  them. 
The  party  proposed  to  administer  the  Constitution  strictly  according  to  the  de- 
clared intention  of  its  framers,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  liberty.  Where  ex- 
ceptions had  been  already  established,  in  the  past  history  of  the  government,  the- 
party  had  no  thought  of  interfering  with  them.  But  its  purpose  was,  in  the  future 
growth  of  the  Nation,  to  develope  and  establish  the  principles  of  the  Constitution, 
and  not  certain  exceptions  to  those  principles,  which,  though  they  had  perhaps  been 
inevitable  in  the  past,  were  seen  to  threaten  destruction  to  liberty  in  the  future. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  by  nature  conservative.  He  held  every  jot  and  title  of  the  Con- 
stitution as  sacred.  His  enemies  called  him  a  radical ;  but  it  was  a  misnomer  and 
a  slander.  Reverence  was  the  strongest  element  in  his  character.  But  he  knew 
what  to  revere.  He  revered  the  Constitution  as  the  fathers  made  it.  He  revered 
that  fundamental  principle  of  the  Constitution  which  they  declared  to  be  liberty 
and  not  that  exceptional  slavery,  which  from  a  supposed  necessity  they  had  per- 
mitted in  certain  cases,  yet  with  such  hatred  of  the  thing,  that  they  refused  to 
admit  the  word  into  the  sacred  charter  of  a  Nation's  .liberty.  Mr.  Lincoln  was- 
the  very  incarnation  of  this  conservative  character  of  his  party.  Under  his  ad- 
ministration the  Constitution  would  not  be  destroyed,  but  defended  and  developed 
according  to  the  true  design  of  the  instrument.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  often  accused 
of  inconsistency,  both  in  this  country  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  But 
the  very  acts  which  were  alleged  as  inconsistencies  were  those  in  which  his  con- 
sistency was  most  remarkable.  I  should  like  to  illustrate  this,  but  I  have  not  the 
time. 

This  is  the  true  reason,  as  I  believe,  why  there  never  was  and  never  will  be  any 
successful  reaction  against  the  measures  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his 
party,  during  the  terrible  civil  war.  They  did  not  destroy,  but  defended  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  Nation,  and  develope  it.  The  measures  of  the  great  reforming 
party  in  England,  in  the  time  of  Charles  I,  and  of  Cromwell,  were  utterly  over- 
turned, because  of  the  National  Constitution.  Ours  will  stand  forever,  because 


128  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

and  brother.  To  the  millions  of  Russian  peasants  that  dwell  between  the  Caspian 
and  the  Baltic,  can  the  Czar  be  anything  but  an  almost  mythical  embodiment  of 
the  head  of  the  Russian  monarchy  and  the  eastern  church. 

How  widely  different  from  all  this  our  National  mourning  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 
It  was  not  the  President,  but  the  MAN  we  mourned.  The  Presidency  had  only 
.set  him  on  high,  where  all  might  see  him,  and  know  him,  and  love  him.  It  was 
not  for  fallen  greatness,  but  for  fallen  goodness,  which  greatness  had  only  made 
•conspicuous.  For  four  long  years  he  had  stood  before  us  as  the  living  impersona- 
tion of  our  intensest  convictions,  and  our  most  fervid  patriotic  affections.  We 
knew  the  man ;  we  knew  his  every  heart-throb,  and  had  felt  his  heart  beating  in 
liarmony  with  our  own.  His  brain  had  throbbed  with  our  thoughts,  his  heart  had 
beat  with  our  emotions,  his  hand  had  .struck  the  blow  which  our  united  wills  had 
dictated.  That  heart  has  ceased  to  beat,  that  brain  has  been  pierced  and  de- 
spoiled by  the  bullet  of  the  villainous  assassin,  that  hand  lies  stiff  and  motionless 
in  death.  The  Nation's  friend,  brother,  father,  has  fallen  by  a  cruel  and  guilty 
hand.  This  was  our  National  mourning  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from 
Lake  Superior  to  the  Gulf.  I  say  the  Gulf,  for  over  all  those  regions  involved  in 
the  late  rebellion,  four  millions  of  grateful  emancipated  slaves  mourned  the  cruel 
•death  of  their  liberator.  He  was  their  deliverer. 

It  is  a  worthy  and  noble  task  which  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  have  ander- 
taken  to  perform ;  to  transmit  by  appropriate  memorial  services,  and  thus  yearly 
giving  a  voice  to  these  silent  stones,  the  name,  the  memory,  the  honor,  the  virtues 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  fresh  and  bright  as  on  the  morning  of  his  death,  to  each  ris- 
ing generation,  and  to  all  after  times.  It  is  an  honor  to  any  man,  to  be  permitted 
to' assist  in  constructing  one  link  in  this  endless  chain  of  memories.  I  thank  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  for  giving  me  this  honor  on  this  occasion. 

The  occasion  that  calls  us  together  to-day  is  not  a  mere  expression  of  sentiment, 
it  is  a  labor  of  love ;  not  merely  of  mourning  affection  for  the  Nation's  murdered 
friend  and  brother,  but  of  love  to  the  dear  country,  which  Mr.  Lincoln  loved  so 
•well.  The  men  of  this  generation  owe  a  duty  to  all  coming  generations,  to  trans- 
mit to  them  untarnished  and  unimpaired,  the  precious  legacy  which  that  great 
man  left  to  his  country  in  all  ages  of  the  future.  That  legacy  consists,  not  merely 
in  those  institutions  which  he  defended  from  the  destroyer,  and  preserved  to  bless 
the  distant  future,  but  pre-eminently  in  his  character,  his  unique  and  shining  vir- 
tues. To  treat  this  part  of  the  subject  exhaustively,  on  this  occasion,  is  quite 
impossible.  Yet,  to  employ  the  littie  time  I  have  at  my  command,  in  alluding  to 
a  very  few  points  of  it,  is  perhaps  the  fittest  thing  I  can  attempt. 

On  the  day  that  the  news  reached  us  of  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army,  I  spent  a 
few  hours  in  this  city.  During  that  brief  stay,  I  remember  to  have  had  a  conver- 
sation with  a  life-long  friend,  a  lady  now  residing  here,  who  knew  Mr.  Lincoln 
well,  and  loved  him  as  I  did.  In  that  conversation,  we  anticipated  the  future  of 
his  life.  We  looked  forward  to  the  time  when,  wearing  the  brightest  honors  his 
grateful  country  could  bestow,  he  would  return  to  his  home  in  the  midst  of  us, 
and  from  the  high  position  he  had  won,  he  would,  like  a  bright  luminary  in  the 
heavens,  shed  upon  us  all  the  benign  and  tranquil  light  of  his  wisdom  and  his  vir- 
tues. From  that  tranquil  sphere  of  private  life,  we  hoped  he  would  shine  on 
through  many  years  teaching  us  all,  teaching  mankind  the  grandest  lesson  of  his 
life.  How  soon  were  all  these  bright  hopes  to  be  cruelly  disappointed!  In  a  few 
short  days  the  murderous  hand  of  the  assassin  would  accomplish  his  dreadful  work! 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  129 

And  yet  the  great  lessons  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  life  are  not  to  be  lost  to  coming  ages 
Perhaps  the  terrible  catastrophe  may  be  appointed  of  God  to  carry  down  those 
lessons  to  coming  generations,  with  all  the  greater  emphasis.  The  impression  of 
that  long  funeral  procession,  through  the  great  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast  and  the 
most  thronged  thoroughfare  of  the  continent,  through  Chicago,  to  this,  his  sacred 
resting  place,  will  never  be  effaced  from  the  "mind  of  the  Nation.  It  impressed  on 
the  hearts  of  millions  of  our  people  the  great  practical  truth,  that  it  is  possible  in 
our  country,  for  one  to  rise  from  the  profoundest  obscurity  to  the  loftiest  position, 
and  the  most  brilliant  honors  ever  attained  by  an  American  citizen ;  from  the  rude 
cabin  of  the  Kentucky  railsplitter,  to  the  most  exalted  place  among  the  rulers  of 
the  world,  without  one  of  the  tricks  of  the  mere  politician,  or  one  of  the  wiles  of 
the  demagogue,  simply  by  the  favor  of  God  and  his  country,  on  his  eminent 
talents,  his  fidelity  to  principle,  and  his  shining  virtues.  The  greatest  danger  to 
which  the  more  aspiring  youth  of  our  country  are  exposed,  is  that  they  will  seek 
to  climb  to  the  high  places  of  the  land  at  the  sacrifice  of  their  principles,  their 
conscience,  and  their  manhood.  Mr.  Lincoln's  career  teaches  them  that  there  is  a 
more  excellent  way,  even  the  way  of  truth  and  righteousness.  It  is  fit  that  as  far 
as  possible,  this  occasion  should  give  emphasis  to  this  sacred  lesson. 

I  do  not  at  all  doubt  or  deny  that  Mr.  Lincoln  desired  and  enjoyed  the  dignities 
and  honors  of  high  and  honorable  station ;  but  this  was  not  the  controlling  motive 
which  impelled  him  onward  in  his  political  career.  That  motive  was  the  love  of 
his  country,  and  of  righteousness.  During  the  ever  memorable  struggle  between 
Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Douglas,  in  1858, 1  one  day  happened  to  be  at  the  station  in 
Jacksonville,  when  the  train  arrived  from  Springfield.  Mr.  Lincoln  came  from  the 
train  and  we  walked  together  to  the  hotel.  I  said  to  him,  you  seem  weary  and 
careworn,  you  must  be  having  a  weary  time  of  it.  I  am,  he  replied  with  empha- 
sis. I  would  instantly  abandon  the  contest,  if  I  did  not  know  that  if  the  doctrine 
of  the  political  indifference  of  slavery  prevails,  this  will  be  a  slave  State  in  less 
than  fifteen  years;  but  I  do  know  it,  and  I  must  fight  it  out  to  the  last.  There 
we  see  the  internal  force  that  impelled  him. 

Many  of  the  older  persons  present  will  well  remember  the  political  speech  which 
lie  made  in  the  Representatives  Hall,  at  the  old  State  House,  on  the  opening  of  the 
ever  memorable  campaign  of  1860.  He  opened  his  speech  with  those  thrilling, 
never  to  be  forgotten  words  :  "This  country  cannot  long  remain  as  it  is,  half 
slave  and  half  free.  It  will  soon  become  all  slave  or  all  free."  I  was  present  on 
that  occasion,  and  remember  the  burning  emphasis  with  which  those  words  were 
uttered.  His  whole  heart  was  .in  ^hem.  You  will  observe  that  it  was  the  same 
sentiment  which  he  uttered  to  me  two  years  before.  This  was,  in  Mr.  Lincoln's 
mind,  the  key  note  of  the  whole  conflict  then  going  on.  The  next  day  an  old  tried 
political  friend,  already  a  veteran  in  the  ranks  of  anti-slavery,  from  whose  lips  I 
had  this  part  of  the  anecdote,  called  on  Mr.  Lincoln  and  said  to  him  :  "Mr.  Lin- 
coln, that  opening  statement  of  yours  is  too  radical ;  we  cannot  stand  up  to  it ;  it 
will  ruin  us ;  you  must  modify  it."  His  reply  was,  "No,  I  have  constructed  that 
statement  with  the  greatest  possible  deliberation  and  care ;  I  cannot  change  a 
syllable  of  it.  We  must  stand  by  it.".  There  was  the  force  that  impelled  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  made  him  President  of  the  United  States,  the  saviour  of  the  Repub- 
lic, and  the  liberator  of  four  millions  of  slaves.  He  could  afford  to  be  defeated  in 
the  contest,  but  he  could  not  afford  to  recede  one  hair's  breadth  from  that  princi- 
ple. He  clearly  saw  a  principle,  and  that  on  its  prevalence  the  future  of  our  dear 
country  depended,  and  by  that  principle  he  would  sink  or  swim.  No  man  had  a 


132  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

they  establish  the  Constitution.  The  administration  of  the  British  government  in 
the  time  of  George  III,  subverted  the  freedom  of  that  Constitution  in  the  colonies. 
The  patriots  of  the  revolution  were  strictly  conservatives.  They  refused  to  accept 
the  bondage  which  the  British  government  sought  to  impose  on  them,  and  adopted 
another  constitution  to  conserve  that  liberty,  which  the  British  constitution  had 
been  employed  to  subvert.  Liberty  was  the  life  of  the  Constitution,  and  they  con- 
served it.  In  exactly  the  same  manner,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  party  conserved 
liberty  at  the  time  of  our  great  civil  war.  From  that  far  off,  dim  antiquity  when 
King  John  granted  Magna  Charta,  to  the  present  hour,  and  in  eveiy  great  conflict 
which  has  occurred,  liberty  has  triumphed  and  been  developed,  as  the  vital  ele- 
ment of  national  life.  I  have  faith  in  righteousness,  liberty  and  God,  to  believe  it 
will  be  so  in  all  the  future.  In  the  English  race  liberty  is  always  national  and 
slavery  sectional.  Liberty  is  always  the  life  of  nationality. 

I  believe  Mr,  Lincoln  to  have  been  a  truly  devout  man,  at  least  in  his  spirit.  I 
must  sorrowfully  own  that  the  aspects  of  the  Christian  church  in  our  day,  one  far 
from  being  such  as  to  present  Christianity  in  a  satisfactory  light  to  such  a  mind 
as  his.  The  conception  of  the  divine  founder  of  our  religion  is  far  enough  from 
finding  satisfactory  expression  in  the  organic  arrangements  and  the  religious 
speech  of  our  times.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  confusion  and  religious  anarchy  in 
the  midst  of  which  we  are  living,  occassioned  him  a  great  deal  of  perplexity,  and 
suggested  a  great  deal  of  unnatural  and  unwholesome  doubt,  as  it  does  to  a  great 
many  other  minds.  It  is  high  time  that  the  church  of  all  denominations  should 
set  herself  in  earnest  to  the  work  of  such  a  readjustment  as  will  give  her  the 
power  of  winning  and  holding  such  minds  as  that  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  It  is  to  her  the 
most  solemn  duty  of  the  hour. 

But  our  martyr  President  was  a  sincere  man.  "When  on  the  platform  of  the 
Great  Western  railway  station,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  Washington,  to 
assume  the  high  place  to  which  he  had  been  elected,  he  made  that  ever  memorable 
address  to  the  assembled  multitude,  in  which  he  begged  them  all  to  pray  for  him, 
that  he  might  obtain  that  help  from  God,  in  his  great  trust,  with  which  he  would 
be  sure  to  succeed  in  his  arduous  undertaking,  and  without  which  he  would  be 
sure  to  fail,  he  only  manifested  the  deep  devoutness  of  his  heart.  The  crowd  he 
was  addressing  was  not  so  devout,  that  to  win  their  favor,  he  was  forced  to  feign 
a  devoutness  he  did  not  feel.  Those  words  which,  at  the  time  and  on  so  many 
occasions  since,  have  drawn  tears  from  many  eyes,  little  accustomed  to  shed  them, 
were  no  artful  trick  of  rhetoric ;  they  were  the  honest  expressions  of  the  pro- 
foundest  convictions  of  his,  understanding,  the  most  cherished  sentiments  of  his 
heart.  He  made  that  morning  a  true  exhibition  of  his  character.  He  well  knew 
the  peril  himself  and  his  country  were  in,  and  he  exhorted  his  fellow  citizens  to 
unite  with  him  in  looking  to  God,  as  the  only  efficient  helper  in  such  an  hour  of 
need.  There  in  that  devout  trust  in  God,  was  the  hiding  of  his  power.  The 
emancipation  of  four  millions  of  slaves,  and  the  restoration  of  our  disrupted 
country  to  unity,  were  in  it.  That  was  the  germ  which  the  glorious  fruitage 
of  this  administration,  through  all  the  future  of  the  Nation's  history,  is  but  the 
developement,  the  seed  from  which  our  Nation  is  to  grow  and  flower  and  bear  fruit, 
for  the  healing  of  the  Nations,  is  found  in  the  moral  virtues  and  the  religious 
devoutness  of  a  righteous  man. 

One  word  before  I  close,  to  the  men  who  are  in  this  audience.  Do  you  desire  to 
imitate  the  splendid  career  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Imitate,  then,  his  example. 
Fear  God  and  trust  him.  Believe  that  if  you  are  faithful  to  him  he  will  take  care 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


133 


of  you,  and  always  be  ready  to  help  you,  and  your  country  in  every  hour  of  need. 
Love  righteousness  and  dare  to  do  it  in  great  things  and  small.  Love  truth  as 
Mr.  Lincoln  loved  it.  Seek  for  it  as  for  silver,  and  search  for  it  as  for  hid 
treasures.  Then  shall  you  understand  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge 
of  God,  Then  will  you  learn  how  to  wield  those  forces  of  the  moral  world,  which 
are  more  powerful  in  controlling  masses  of  men,  in  ruling  nations  and  guiding  the 
human  race,  to  the  attainment  of  its  appointed  destiny,  than  the  power  of  steam 
in  mere  physical  achievement. 

President  Dana  then  introduced  Rev.  T.  A.  Parker,  Pastor 
of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Springfield.  Mr. 
Parker,  by  way  of  prelude  said : 

On  November  19,  1863,  a  portion  of  the  battle  field  of  Gettysburg,  bought  by  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  was  consecrated  as  a  burial  place  for  those  who  had  fallen 
in  the  fight.  The  occasion  was  grand ;  both  from  the  memories  of  the  scene,  and 
on  account  of  the  imposing  ceremonies.  Edward  Everett  was  the  chief  orator, 
and  the  assembled  thousands  listened  in  silent  admiration,  to  the  incomparable 
address  ;  but  when  Mr.  Lincoln  rose  and  faced  the  vast  audience  they  crowded 
closely  to  the  platorm,  to  catch  every  word.  He  held  in  his  hand  a  small  piece  of 
yellow  paper  on  which  was  written  his  oration,  as  if  done  in  a  brief  interval  of  his 
great  work.  His  words  fell  upon  the  hearts  of  the  multitude  like  the  dew  of 
Heaven,  and  moved  them  to  sobs  and  broken  cheers.  No  composition  of  classic 
ages  or  modern  times,  surpasses  the  simple  gradeur  of  this  address. 

The  editor  adds  that  the  battle  fought  there  between  the 
Union  and  rebel  forces  July  1,  2,  3,  terminating  in  a  com- 
plete rout  of  the  rebels,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  18G3, 
leaving  the  Union  armies  in  possession  of  the  field ;  that  and 
the  surrender  of  forty  thousand  rebel  soldiers  with  all  their 
munitions  of  war,  to  the  Union  armies  at  Vicksburg,  Missis- 
sippi, on  the  same  day,  baptized  anew,  July  Fourth,  as  our 
National  Independence  Day. 


PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS. 

Bead  by  Rev.  T.  A.  Parker. 


There  are  two  versions  of  this  re- 
markable speech.  This  left  hand  col- 
umn contains  it  as  it  was  delivered  Nov. 
19,  1863,  on  the  battle  field.  This  is 
copied  from  the  St.  Nicholas  Magazine 
for  June,  1881.  In  each  case  the  punc- 
tuation and  paragraphs  are  followed  ex- 
actly. 


This  is  as  it  was  copied  by  Mr  Lin- 
coln for  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Fair  at 
Baltimore  in  the  autumn  of  1864.  It  is 
copied  from  a  fac  simile  of  the  original, 
in  the  St.  Nicholas  Magazine,  for  Sept., 
188i,  and  is  beyond  doubt,  the  form  in 
which  he  desired  that  it  should  go  down 
in  history. 


-134 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


Where  the  two  versions  differ,  the  words  are  in  italics. 


Tour  score  and  seven  years  ago,  our 
fathers  brought  forth  upon  this  conti- 
nent a  new  nation,  conceived  in  Liberty, 
and  dedicated  to  the  proposition  that 
all  men  are  created  equal.  Now,  we  are 
engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing 
•whether  that,  nation,  or  any  nation  so 
conceived  and  so  dedicated,  can  long 
endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great  battle 
field  of  that  war.  We  are  met  to  dedi- 
cate a  portion  of  it  as  the  final  resting 
place  of  those  who  here  gave  their  lives 
that  that  Nation  might  live.  It  is  alto- 
gether fitting  and  proper  that  we  should 
<lo  this.  But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  can- 
not dedicate,  we  cannot  consecrate,  we 
cannot  hallow,  this  ground.  The  brave 
men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled 
here,  consecrated  it  far  above  our  power 
to  add  or  to  detract.  The  world  will 
little  note,  nor  long  remember  what  we 
say  here,  but  it  can  never  forget  what 
they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living, 
rather  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the  un- 
finished work  that  they  have  thus  far 
so  nobly  carried  on.  It  is  rather  for  us 
to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task 
remaining  before  us ;  that  from  these 
honored  dead  we  take  increased  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  for  which  they  here 
gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion ; 
that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  the 
dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain ;  that 
the  Nation  shall,  under  God,  have  a 
new  birth  of  freedom ;  and  that  govern- 
ment of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and 
for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth. 


Four  score  and  seven  years  ago,  our 
fathers  brought  forth  on  this  continent, 
a  new  nation,  conceived  in  Liberty,  and- 
dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  all' 
men  are  created  equal. 

Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil 
war,  testing  whether  that  nation  or  any 
nation  so  conceived  and  so  dedicated, 
can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great 
battlefield  of  that  war.  We  have  come 
to  dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field,  as  a 
final  resting  place  for  those  who  here 
gave  their  lives  that  that  nation  might 
live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper 
that  we  should  do  this. 

But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedi- 
cate— we  cannot  consecrate — we  cannot 
hallow — this  ground.  The  brave  men, ' 
living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here, 
have  consecrated  it,  far  above  our  poor' 
power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world 
will  little  note,  nor  long  remember  what 
we  say  here,  but  it  can  never  forget 
what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us  the 
living,  rather,  to  be  dedicated  here  to 
the  unfinished  work  which  they  who 
fought  here  have  thus  far  so  nobly  ad- 
vanced. It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here 
dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining 
before  us,  that  from  these  honored  dead 
we  take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause 
for  which  they  gave  the  last  full  meas- 
ure of  devotion — that  we  here  Tiighly 
resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have 
died  in  vain — that  this  nation,  under 
God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom 
— and  that  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall  not 
perish  from  the  earth. 

ABEAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Nov,  19, 1863. 


Let  the  president  sleep  was  then  sung. 

President  Dana  next  introduced  Gen.  H.  H.  Thomas,  Speaker 
of  the  Illinois  House  of  Representatives,  then  in  session,  who 
delivered  the  following : 


ADDRESS  BY  GEN.  H.  H.  THOMAS. 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  and  Fellow  Citizens: 
One  of  your  number  on  yesterday  afternoon  kindly  invited  me  to  occupy  five 
minutes  of  time  this  morning,  which  I  consented  to  do,  and  I  certainly  promise 
that  I  will  not  overstep  the  limits  of  the  time  in  this  inclement  season. 

I  think  it  eminently  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  for  a  time  lay  aside  our 
usual  avocations  and  gather  at  this  consecrated  spot  to  pay  the  tribute  of  our  affec- 
tionate admiration  to  the  memory  of  the  illustrious  dead  whose  ashes  respose 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  135 

"here.  It  was  sixteen  years  ago  last  night  since  the  madman  fired  the  shot  "heard 
around  the  world,"  which  laid  low  one  whom  I  believe  I  voice  the  universal  senti- 
ment in  pronouncing  the  foremost  man  of  his  time,  and  "take  him  for  all  in  all"  the 
greatest  man  this  country  has  produced.  It  needed  but  the  dark  tragedy  of  Ford's 
Theatre  to  set  out  in  proper  relief  the  simple  and  harmonious  qualities  which  had 
.made  him  so  truly  illustrious,  even — and  I  say  it  reverently — as  the  portentous, 
shadows  of  Calvary  furnished  the  background  for  the  shining,  radiant  glories  of 
the  Christ.  Of  course  in  the  few  minutes  which  are  allotted  to  me,  I  can  but 
glance  at  the  character  of  Illinois' — I  should  rather  say  of  America's — great  son. 
Like  the  granite  shaft  that  lifts  itself  above  his  ashes,  it  was  severely,  simple  and 
plain.  Little  of  "the  divinity"  which  "doth  hedge  a  king"  surrounded  Abraham 
Lincoln.  I  saw  him  often  in  those  darkest  days  of  the  Nation's  agony.  I  was  in 
the  War  Department  at  Washington  at  the  time,  and  I  remember,  in  those  fateful 
summer  days  of  1862,  when  the  Grand  Army  of  Washington  was  being 
slaughtered  in  the  swamps  around  Richmond,  as  it  slowly  fighting,  retreated  to 
the  James  river,  that  the  good  President  used  often  to  come  quietly  over  to  the 
War  Department  and  sit  for  hours,  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  War — his 
trusted  Secretary — and  listen  to  the  painful  tidings  as  they  came  from  the  field. 
I  remember  the  awful  anxiety  that  sat  upon  those  plain,  strong,  homely  features, 
and  again  later,  in  the  succeeding  winter,  when  Burnside  led  that  fruitless  and 
bloody,  storming  of  the  heights  at  Fredericksburg,  with  that  same  noble  army — 
and  it  seemed  as  if 

"Unmerciful  disaster 
Followed  fast  and  followed  faster" 

its  fortunes — I  saw  him  once  more  with  that  look  of  ineffable  sadness  upon  his 
face.  It  really  seemed  as  if  he  bore  within  his  great  heart  the  burden  of  all  our 
troubles,  and  as  if  he  was  of  all  men  the  man  you  would  point  to  and  say  that  he 
was  "a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief."  I  have  often  thought  I  should 
have  loved  to  see  him  after  the  great  burden  was  lifted,  when  peace  had  come  with 
•victory  and  its  laurels — to  have  seen  him  riding  through  the  streets  of  conquered 
Richmond,  heard  the  glad  acclaims  of  those  sons  and  daughters  of  Africa,  and  seen 
that  peculiar  smile  which  used  to  light  up  his  face.  And  I  remember,  too,  how 
gentle  he  always  was,  whether  in  the  presence  of  a  carping  Senator,  an  arrogant 
General  or  a  Department  Clerk — always  the  most  kindly,  courteous  gentleman  was 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

Much  as  we  abhor  the  crime  of  Wilkes  Booth,  I  doubt  if  he  were  an  enemy  to 
the  fame  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  That  life  which  he  cut  off  so  cruelly  and  suddenly 
was  a  full-rounded  life.  Abraham  Lincoln  had  worthily  won  and  worn  the  highest 
honors  of  the  Republic.  He  had  succeeded  in  a  seemingly  impossible  task  of 
crushing  out  the  mightiest  rebellion  known  to  histoiy,  and  he  had  been  hailed  by 
lour  millions  of  liberated  souls  as  Emancipator.  What  more  was  there  of  human 
achievements  for  him?  His  work  was  done,  and  well  done,  and  we  might  appro- 
priately apply  the  language  of  the  poet  when  he  speaks  of  a  great  Grecian  hero: 

"  We  tell  thy  doom  without  a  sigh, 

For  thou  art  Freedom's  now  and  Fame's — 
One  of  the  few,  the  immortal  names 
That  were  not  born  to  die." 

If  we  who  are  gathered  here  this  morning  can  from  these  simple  addresses,  and 
from  these  grand,  noble,  simple  words  of  his,  which  we  have  heard  recited,  but 


136  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

catch  a  little  of  the  inspiration  that  illumined  his  life — a  little  of  that  all-embrac- 
ing charity,  that  unselfishness  and  that  devotion  to  duty,  lead  the  path  where  it 
might,  over  primrose  paths  or  by  a  thorny  road,  then  our  time  will  have  been  pro- 
fitably spent. 

President  Dana  then  announced  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  a 
member  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor. 

ME.  CONKLING  SAID: 

To  show  that  Mr.  Lincoln  fully  realized  the  dangers  which  surrounded  him  when 
he  became  President,  and  that  the  very  death  which  came  upon  him  at  last,  had 
been  almost  anticipated  by  him  from  the  first,  and  to  show  at  the  same  time  the 
kindly  feelings  he  had  for  those  who  so  bitterly  opposed  him  as  well  as  the  Nation 
which  he  represented,  I  have  selected  passages  from  a  speech  delivered  by  him  in 
Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia,  where  he  stopped  while  on  his  way  to  Washing- 
ton, February  2,  1861,  also  the  concluding  portion  of  his  lirst  inaugural  address. 
In  addressing  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Lincoln  said  : 

"I  have  often  pondered  over  the  dangers  which  were  incurred  by  the  men  who 
assembled  here  and  framed  and  adopted  that  Declaration  of  Independence.  I  have 
pondered  over  the  trials  that  were  endured  by  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army 
who  achieved  that  independence.  I  have  often  inquired  of  myself  what  great 
principle  or  idea  it  was  that  kept  this  confederacy  so  long  together.  It  was  not 
the  mere  matter  of  the  separation  of  the  colonies'  from  the  mother-land,  but  that 
sentiment  in  the  Declaration  of  Indendence  which  gave  liberty  not  alone  to  the 
people  of  this  country,  but,  I  hope,  to  the  world  for  all  future  time.  It  was  that 
which  gave  promise  that  in  due  time  the  weight  would  be  lifted  from  the  shoulders 
of  all  men.  This  is  a  sentiment  embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Now,  my  friends,  can  this  country  be  saved  upon  this  basis  ?  If  it  can,  I  will  con- 
sider myself  one  of  the  happiest  men  in  the  world  if  I  can  help  save  it.  If  it  can- 
not be  saved  upon  that  principle,  it  will  be  truly  awful.  But  if  this  country  can- 
not be  saved  without  giving  up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to  say  I  would  rather  be 
assassinated  on  this  spot  than  surrender  it.  Now  in  my  view  of  the  present  aspect 
of  affairs,  there  need  be  no  bloodshed  or  war.  There  is  no  necessity  for  it.  I  am 
not  in  favor  of  such  a  course  ;  and  I  may  say,  in  advance,  that  there  will  be  no 
"bloodshed,  unless  it  be  forced  upon  the  government,  and  then  it  will  be  compelled 
to  act  in  self  defense." 

Standing  upon  the  steps  of  the  Capitol  at  "Washington,  in  the  presence  of  the 
vast  audience,  many  of  whom  were  seeking  the  dissolution  of  the  "Union,  addressing 
more  particularly  this  portion  of  his  hearers,  he  said: 

"If  it  were  admitted  that  you  who  are  dissatisfied  hold  the  right  side  in  the  dis- 
pute, there  is  still  no  reason  for  precipitate  action.  Intelligence,  patriotism, 
Christianity  and  a  firm  reliance  on  Him  who  has  never  yet  forsaken  this  favored 
land,  are  still  competent  to  adjust,  in  the  best  way,  all  our  difficulties.  In  your 
hands,  my  dissatisfied  countrymen,  and  not  in  mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of 
civil  war.  The  government  will  not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no  conflict  without 
being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  You  have  no  oath  registered  in  Heaven  to  de- 
stroy the  government,  while  I  shall  have  the  most  solemn  one  to  preserve,  protect 
and  defend  it.  I  am  loth  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies  but  friends.  We  must 
not  be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds 
of  affection.  The  mystic  cords  of  meniorj^  stretching  from  every  battle-field  and 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  137 

patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad  land,  wilT 
yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when  again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by 
the  better  angels  of  our  nature." 

Kev.  W.  B.  Affleck  of  York,  England,  who  had  electrified  all 
hearts  with  his  three  minutes'  speech  at  our  first  Lincoln  Mem- 
orial Service,  delivered  his 

ADDRESS. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

I  only  propose  occupying  one  or  two  minutes,  this  cold  morning,  for  two  rea- 
sons— I  don't  want  the  good  impressions  destroyed  from  my  own  heart  and  mind, 
already  made,  and  for  another  reason,  I  think  we  should  consider  the  health  of  the 
people  upon  this  ground. 

I  am  thankful  for  the  opportunity,  as  an  Englishman,  to  stand  here  and  feel  with 
you  and  to  let  you  know  that  there  is  a  percentage,  at  any  rate,  of  humanity  at 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  that  is  greatly  American  in  all  American  things  that 
are  good.  The  devil — I  have  always  thought  him  a  politician,  but  a  bad  one — 
there  are  lots  like  him,  though,  and  he  is  the  father  of  a  numerous  family  that  are- 
still  living — but  when  he  said,  "Skin  for  skin  and  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give 
for  his  life,"  it  was  the  greatest  falsehood  that  has  ever  been  spoken  in  the  uni- 
verse. Abraham  Lincoln  is  an  example  of  one  to  whom  the  love  of  God  and  man- 
kind was  infinitely  dearer  than  life,  and  he,  too,  is  the  father  of  a  numerous  family, 
for  there  are  tens  and  thousands  in  America  to-day  who  love  affection  more  than 
they  love  their  life. 

In  1865,  on  the  15th  of  April,  two  very  distinguished  men  were  riding  in  a  car- 
riage in  England — two  of  the  finest  orators  England  has  ever  had — the  one  the- 
representative  of  the  workingmen,  Henry  Vincent,  and  the  other  a  representative 
of  all  classes,  John  Bright.  As  they  rode,  conversing,  they  met  a  man  who,  with 
uplifted  hand,  stopped  them  and  told  them  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was"  dead.  For 
many  minutes  neither  of  those  men  could  speak,  but  sat  side  by  side  and  wept. 
Why?  Because  Lincoln  was  a  kingly  man — a  man  that  was  leading  the  vanguard 
in  the  great  conflict  for  universal  freedom — smitten  down  by  the  hand  of  hate. 

The  first  time  I  saw  this  monument  I  shall  never  forget,  but  I  had  already  seen 
a  monument  to  Abraham  Lincoln  before  I  saw  this.  We  have  a  monument  to- 
Abraham  Lincoln  at  the  other  side  of  the  ocean,  and  will  have  as  long  as  we  have 
a  people  who  love  liberty  and  struggle  to  achieve  its  triumphs.  The  first  time  I 
went  into  St.  Paul's  churchyard  in  London,  I  remember  looking  at  that  immense 
dome,  rising  over  the  Cathedral,  and  then  I  thought  about  its  architect,  Sir  Chris- 
topher Wren,  and  I  found  a  moldy  tombstone  with  the  simple  inscription,  "If  you 
want  the  monument  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren  look  around."  So  I  say,  if  you 
want  a  monument  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  look  around.  There  is  a  man  whom 
I  noticed  as  soon  as  I  came  upon  this  ground  in  the  cold  chilling  wind  of  this 
morning,  and  whom  I  have  watched  ever  since  these  commemorative  services  be- 
gan (pointing  to  an  ex-slave,  Jordan  Richardson,)  who  has  never  covered  that 
woolly  head.  We  have  stood  with  our  hats  on,  but  then  we  can't  feel  as  his  kind 
haAre  felt.  Abraham  Lincoln  led  the  great  host  that  preserved  our  freedom,  but  he 
gave  the  inspiring  watchword  to  that  same  conquering  host  that  got  them  their 
freedom.  The  first  picture  that  ever  made  me  weep  was  an  American  picture.  It 


138  THE   LINCOLN    GUARD     OF  EOKCE. 

I  had  not  seen  that  I  don't  know  that  I  should  have  ever  seen  America.  That  pic- 
ture was  a  poor  slave,  kneeling  with  his  hands  manacled,  looking  up  to  the  pioneer 
fighting  for  universal  liberty  and  crying.  "Am  I  not  a  man  and  a  brother?"  He 
~was  neither  a  man  nor  a  brother  then,  but  since  the  great  conflict  crowned  by  the 
martyrdom  of  the  great  leader  and  chief  of  the  change  that  has  come  to  pass,  he 
is  both  a  man  and  a  brother.  I  saw  two  colored  men  in  the  city  of  New  York  on 
Decoration  day  two  years  ago,  in  a  square  in  that  city,  where  a  platform  had  been 
erected  at  immense  cost,  and  a  monument  to  Lincoln  had  been  wreathed  of  $500 
worth  of  flowers  by  grateful  people  of  color.  There  were  to  be  orations  delivered, 
and  my  wife  and  I  went  to  hear  them.  A  great  procession  passed,  and  when  I 
looked  upon  those  tattered  and  lacerated  flags  that  were  borne  along  I  hardly  cared 
to  hear  an  oration — I  rather  felt  like  turning  aside  to  weep  and  ease  my  swelling 
breast.  There  were  men  with  one  arm  and  men  with  disfigured  faces  following — 
true  heroes  in  the  great  battle  for  universal  right,  and  each  brave  soldier  of  the 
Republic  as  he  passed  that  floral  monument  to  Lincoln  lifted  up  his  hat.  I  would 
not  mention  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln  with  my  hat  upon  my  head — I  would 
not  mention  the  name  of  his  good  son  with  my  hat  upon  my  head.  And  there  was 
one  thought  in  the  fine  oration  of  Dr.  Stertevant  this  morning  that  impressed  me 
more  than  all  the  rest — the  thought  that  though  humanity  had  lamented  over  the 
death  of  monarchs,  its  great  universal  heart  had  never  been  stirred  as  it  was  by 
the  assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  There  are  reasons  for  that.  There  is  not 
a  country,  however  forlorn,  under  heaven  to-day,  but  if  it  wanted  another  King  or 
an  Emporer  he  could  be  found  at  hand.  Why,  they  can  make  a  King  out  of  any- 
thing that's  mean.  But  they  can't  make  a  kingly  man  withCutthe  material,  and 
that  material  was  in  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  that  is  why  men  everywhere,  all  over 
the  earth,  felt  that  when  Lincoln  fell  a  nation  must  be  in  tears — when  Lincoln  fell 
a  world  in  mourning. 

Not  so  when  others  fall — there  are  some  sorrows  that  are  not  too  grevious  to  be 
"borne  ;  there  are  some  whom,  if  the  Lord  should  want  to  take  away  I  would  never 
say  don't ;  but,  when  he  takes  one  we  cannot  see  how  we  can  do  without,  we  pray, 
O  Lord,  spare.  But,  as  I  was  saying,  the  great  procession  passed,  and  we  gath- 
ered as  close  to  the  platform  there  in  Madison  Square  as  we  could,  and  a  colored 
man  came  forward  as  the  first  orator.  He  lifted  his  hat,  looked  at  the  monument, 
his  bosom  heaved,  the  tears  streamed  down  his  cheeks  and  he  said  : 

"That  was  our  friend,"  and  that  was  the  beginning,  the  middle  and  the  end  of 
his  oration. 

A  second  man  followed,  whose  wool  had  turned  white,  but  whose  eye,  like  Dr. 
Sturtevant's,  was  still  undimmed,  and  after  a  pause,  while  his  lips  quivered,  he 
simply  added : 

"Yes,  he  was  our  unchanging  friend." 

And  they  were  the  only  orations  delivered  on  that  occasion.      I  shall  never  for- 
get them.     And  that  is  the  character  of  Abraham  Lincoln — all  summed  up  in  • 
those  two  eloquent  orations  by  those  two  obscure  colored  men.      Look  around,  I 
say,  when  you  want  to  see  a  monument  of  Abraham  Lincoln — look  the  world 
around. 

I  have  always  felt  a  grateful  love  for  America  because  of  her  magnanimity. 
They  were  not  all  alike  at  the  other  side  of  the  sea — we  know  that.  We  had  two 
parties  of  widely  differing  opinion ;  we  were  not  so  much  divided  there,  perhaps, 
as  you  were  here,  and  no  doubt  you  thought  it  was  a  strange  thing  that  we  should 
be  divided  at  all  at  the  other  side,  but  I  never  thought  so,  for  I  knew  that  all  the 
good  at  the  other  side  were  with  you,  and  I  knew  that  all  who  were  not 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  139 

good,  but  ought  to  have  been,  were  against  you,  and  that  was  just  the 
division.  But  how  has  America  requited  that?  We  lost  one  of  our  fine  philan- 
thropic men  while  he  was  trying  to  do  the  world  good— lost  him  amid  the  jungles 
of  Africa,  and  America  in  her  magnanimity  said,  we  have  pardoned  all  the  rebels 
who  fought  against  us  and  we  will  be  equally  generous  to  those  who  thought 
against  us — they  have  lost  Livingstone  and  we  will  send  Stanley  to  find  him.  I 
like  America  for  that,  for  the  great  can  always  afford  to  be  forgiving.  May  God 
bless  America.  I  don't  belong  to  it — I  would  like  to.  I  like  to  li ve  in  this  land — I 
prefer  to  live  hi  it.  I  thought  last  year  I  would  lilse  to  die  in  England,  but  now  I 
think  I  would  like  to  die  in  America  and  to  be  buried  over  on  yon  hillside,  for 
when  the  great  trump  shall  sound  and  the  best  shall  rise  first,  if  I  could  only  lift 
up  my  eyes  from  that  hillside  and  behold  the  loved  form  of  Abraham  Lincoln  step 
forth  and  gloriously  ascend.  I,  who  never  saw  him  yet,  how  would  I  like  to  see 
him  then. 

Mr.    Affleck  then  recited  the  following  inspiriting  lines  by 
^Gerald  Massey. 

"High  hopes  that  burned  like  stars  sublime 

Go  down  in  the  heavens  of  freedom, 
And  true  hearts  perish  in  the  time 

"We  bitterliest  need  'em. 
Yet  never  sit  we  down  to  say 

There's  nothing  left  but  sorrow ; 
"We  walk  the  wilderness  to-day, 

The  promised  land  to-morrow. 

Our  birds  of  song  are  silent  now, 

There  are  no  flowers  blooming. 
Yet  life  is  in  the  frozen  bough, 

And  freedom's  spring  is  coming. 
And  freedom's  tide  rolls  up  alway, 

Though  we  may  stand  in  sorrow, 
And  our  good  bark,  aground  to-day, 

Will  float  again  to-morrow. 

Through  all  the  long  dark  night  of  years 

The  people's  cry  ascendeth, 
And  earth  is  wet  with  blood  and  tears, 

But  our  meek  sufferance  endeth. 
The  few  shall  not  forever  sway, 

The  many  toil  in  sorrow. 
The  powers  of  hell  are  strong  to-day, 

But  Christ  shall  rise  to-morrow. 

Oh  youth,  flame  earnest,  still  aspire, 

With  energies  immortal ; 
To  many  a  haven  of  desire 

Your  yearning  opes  a  portal. 
And  though  age  wearies  by  the  way, 

And  hearts  break  in  the  furrow, 
We'll  sow  the  golden  grain  to-day — 

The  harvest  comes  to-morrow. 


140  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Build  up  heroic  lives,  and  all 

Be  like  a  sheathen  sabre, 
Heady  to  flash  out  at  God's  call, 

O,  Chivalry  of  labor. 
Triumph  and  toil  are  twins,  and  aye, 

Joy  gilds  the  cloud  of  sorrow, 
For  'tis  the  martyrdom  to-day 

Brings  victory  to-morrow." 

Continuing  his  address,  Mr.  Affleck  said,  "There  is  a  better  day  coming,  to 
America,  a  better  day  coming  for  the  world,  and  I  am  glad  the  Lord  let  me  be 
born  in  an  age  so  near  that  coming.  I  said  last  night  at  the  Congregational 
church — I  loved  the  name  of  Lincoln  because  he  had  managed  to  die.  Very  few 
men  have  died,  because  very  few  men  have  lived.  They  shuffle  into  the  world, 
shuffle  on  awhile  in  it,  and  then  shuffle  out,  but  a  man  who  rose  up  to  be  a  prince 
of  goodness,  and  then  sealed  the  great  mission  of  his  life  with  a  martyr's  death, 
in  him  there  is  something  we  can  think  about,  admire  and  imitate. 

"  God  bless  the  young  men  of  America.  Be  good  men.  You  cannot  all  become 
great.  That  was  a  fine  distinction  of  Dr.  Sturtevant's  between  Lincoln's  great- 
ness and  his  goodness.  A  man  asked  me  a  few  weeks  ago  if  I  thought  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  a  righteous  man.  I  said,  I  thought  he  was  better  than  that,  infinitely 
better  than  that,  he  was  a  good  man.  There  are  plenty  of  righteous  men  that 
are  like  sponges.  Everything  that  is  good  they  suck  in,  but  when  you  would  get 
anything  of  them  they  have  to  be  squeezed.  But  Abraham  Lincoln  lived  for 
others,  he  got  good  himself  and  communicated  it.  A  man  asked  me  if  I  thought 
Abraham  Lincoln  had  gone  to  Heaven.  I  said  I  thought  so,  never  had  any  doubt 
of  it,  for  he  could  pray  and  vote  as  he  prayed,  but  I  said  if  he  has  missed  the 
road,  the  Lord  is  good,  and  wherever  he  has  put  Abraham  Lincoln,  I  shall  be 
thankful  to  be  as  near  him  as  Lincoln  is.  The  Lord  of  the  whole  earth  will  do- 
right." 

The  Call  of  the  Koll  on  High,  was  then  sung. 

Sadly  from  the  field  of  conflict, 

Where  the  wounded  and  slain 

Lay  with  pale  and  upturned  faces, 

Some  in  peace  and  some  in  pain. 
Slow  we  bore  a  dying  soldier, 
Who  had  fallen  in  in  the  fight, 
And  to  us  he  faintly  whispered, 
"Comrades,  let  me  sleep  to-night." 

On  the  ground  we  softlv  laid  him, 

Thinking  he  no  more  will  wake, 

When  with  eye  lids  widely  open, 

Pointing  upwards  thus  he  spake : 
Comrades,  listen  !  don't  you  hear  it, 
Hear  the  roll  call  there  on  high? 
Hark  !  my  name  the  Saviour's  calling, 
Jesus— Captain,  here  am  I ! 


TflE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  141 

O  from  many  a  field  of  battle 

Earnest  prayer  has  gone  to  God, 

From  the  lips  of  dying  soldiers, 

As  their  life  blood  drenched  the  sod ; 
And  to  many  came  the  message  : 
Son,  thy  sins  are  all  forgiven, 
And  their  lips  with  joy  responded, 
When  the  roll  was  called  in  Heaven. 

Rev.  Roswell  0.  Post,  Pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Springfield,  closed  the  exercises  with  the  following: 

PRAYER    AND  BENEDICTION. 

O,  God  of  our  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  be  our  God!  Our  contry's  God! 
We  pray  thee  that  from  these  services  so  sad  and  solemn,  that  from  this  mount  of 
sacrifice,  we  may  return  to  the  duties  of  life  stronger  in  our  fealty  to  our  land 
more  loving  in  our  service  to  thee,  our  God.  We  thank  thee  for  all  thy  great 
blessings.  We  thank  thee  for  thy  son,  Jesus  Christ,  who  brought  immortality  to 
light.  We  thank  thee  for  all  thy  children  who  have  lived  upon  earth,  showing  the 
good,  the  true  and  the  beautiful,  making  life  worth  the  living.  We  pray  thee  that 
thy  blessing  may  be  with  us,  that  we  may,  as  thy  sons  and  as  thy  daughters,  go 
forth  to  do  thy  will.  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power  and  the  glory, 
forever. 

And  may  the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  understanding  keep  our  hearts  and 
minds  from  evil,  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 

May  19,  1881,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  held  a  meet- 
ing at  the  Leland  Hotel  and  resolved  to  unite  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  on  Decoration  Day,  at  the  Lincoln 
Monument,  and  authorized  President  Dana  to  make  necessary 
arrangements  for  decorating  the  sarcophagus. 

It  was  mutually  agreed  that  all  the  members  of  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  assemble  at  the  gallery  of  J.  A.  W.  Pittman, 
Monday,  4May  23,  1881,  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  photo- 
graph taken  of  themselves  in  a  group. 

Monday,  May  30,  1881,  Decoration  Day,  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  assembled  at  the  catacomb  of  the  monu- 
ment. Present:  Dana,  Reece,  Power,  McNeill,  Lindley,  John- 
son and  Chapin.  Absent:  Wiggins  and  Conkling. 

Mrs.  Dana,  Mrs.  Lindley,  Mrs.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Conkling  and 
Mrs.  McNeill,  all  wives  of  members,  having  previously  deco- 
rated the  catacomb  and  sarcophagus,  each  of  the  members 


142  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

present  filed  into  the  catacomb,  headed  by  President  Dana,, 
and  deposited  a  boquet  on  the  sarcophagus  as  they  marched 
around  it  and  out  at  the  door.  They  were  followed  by 
Stephenson  Post  No.  3.0,  Grand  Army  of  the  Kepublic,  many 
of  whom  deposited  flowers  on  the  sarcophagus,  and  all  others 
who  had  flowers  were  invited  to  deposit  them  on  the  tomb 
also.  All  then  dispersed  without  formality. 

Pursuant  to  agreement  the  members  of  The  Guard  of  Honor 
assembled  at  Pittman's  gallery  May  23d,  and  sat  for  a  pic- 
ture, but  the  negative  being  unsatisfactory,  they  assembled 
again  in  June  and  had  one  taken  with  which  all  are  satisfied. 
That  picture  is  the  frontispiece  to  this  volume,  and  presents 
a  remarkably  good  likeness  of  each  and  every  member. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


DIVISION  NINTH. 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-TWO. 


Historical  Sketch. — Certificate  of  Honorary  Membership  and  Circular — Election 
of  Officers — Seal — First  Certificate  of  Honorary  Membership — Circular — 
Third  Memorial  Service,  held  in  the  Afternoon — Address  on  Temperance  by 
Abraham  Lincoln — Death  and  Funeral  of  Mrs.  Lincoln. 


At  a  meeting,  Jan.  17,  1882,  the  Secretary,  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  President  Dana,  was  requested  to  write  up  a  historical 
sketch  of  our  society  in  connection  with  the  labors  of  its 
members  to  protect,  from  vandal  hands,  the  remains  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  and  make  that  sketch  a  part  of  our  records. 

A  lithographic  plate  of  a  certificate  of  honorary  memberT 
ship  having  been  previously  ordered,  and  a  thousand  copies 
printed  at  a  cost  of  two  hundred  dollars,  Mr.  Conkling  was 
directed  to  send  that  amount  to  the  Chicago  Bank  Note  and 
Engraving  Company  in  payment  of  the  same. 

The  price  for  a  certificate  of  honorary  membership  was  de- 
clared to  be  five  dollars. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  circular  concern- 
ing honorary  membership  and  the  aims  of  The  Lincoln  Guard 
of  Honor.  This  was  done  with  the  view  of  raising  money  in 
that  way  to  defray  the  expenses  of  our  society. , 

The  President  and  Secretary  were  constituted  a  committee 
to  procure  a  seal  for  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor. 

At  a  meeting  Feb.  3,  1882,  the  Secretary  reported  a  his- 
torical sketch  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  which  he  had 
been  directed  to  write.  After  being  read  and  modified  in  some 
points  it  was  approved  and  ordered  to  be  spread  upon  our 
records,  where  it  may  be  found,  beginning  on  page  88,  and 
occupying  eleven  pages.  It  contains  all  the  history  we  had 
made  to  that  date. 


144  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

At  the  third  annual  meeting  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
Monday,  Feb.  13,  1882,  Treasurer  McNeill  made  his  annual 
report  in  detail,  showing  receipts  for  the  year  to  have  been 
446.80,  and  expenditures  $44.55,  leaving  a  balance  in  the 
Treasury  of  $2.25. 

The  annual  election  of  officers  was  then  held,  a  separate 
ballot  being  taken  for  each  one,  resulting  in  the  election  of 

Gustavus  S.  Dana,  President. 

Jasper  N.  Reece,  Vice  President. 

John  Carroll  Power,  Secretary. 

James  F.  McNeill,  Treasurer. 

President  Dana,  from  the  committee  on  seal,  reported  where 
it  could  be  obtained  with  the  price,  and  was  directed  to  have 
one  made  without  further  delay. 

At  a  meeting  held  Monday,  March  6,  1882,  President  Dana 
reported  that  the  seal  had  been  received,  with  bill  $5.00  and 
transportation  35  cents,  making  $5.35,  which  was  allowed 
and  ordered  paid. 

President  Dana  reported  $5.00  received  March  2,  1882,  from 
Philander  T.  Pratt,  of  932  North  Halsted  street,  Chicago,  for 
Certificate  No.  1  of  honorary  membership. 

President  Dana,  from  committee  on  circular  reported  the 
following : 

THE  LINCOLN  GUAKD  OF  HONOR 

TO 
THE   PEOPLE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Moved  by  a  warm  affection  for  the  memory  of  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  and  desir- 
ing to  aid  in  perpetuating  the  remembrance  of  his  life  and  death,  the  founders  of 
THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  or  HONOR  formed  themselves  into  an  organization,  which 
was  instituted  February  12,  1880,  the  seventy-first  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the 
martyr  President,  and  has  been  duly  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Illinois. 

The  purpose  of  this  Society  *  *  *  in  part,  are  to  provide 

for  memorial  services  at  his  Tomb,  and  at  other  places,  upon  the  anniversaries  of 
his  birth,  death,  or  other  important  events  in  his  life,  as  well  as  upon  Emancipa- 
tion Day  and  Decoration  Day ;  thus  keeping  his  life  and  eminent  services  fresh  in 
the  memory  of  the  people. 

Since  its  organization,  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  or  HONOR  has  held,  at  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument,  interesting  Memorial  Services  on  the  fifteenth  day  of 
April  of  each  year,  the  anniversary  of  the  President's  death,  and  upon  Decoration 
Day.  The  twelfth  of  February,  the  day  of  his  birth,  has  also  been  appropriately 
remembered,  and  it  is  the  desire  of  the  Society  that  the  observance  of  the  anni- 
versary of  his  death  may  soon  be  adopted  by  the  whole  country  as  a  National 
Holiday.  (We  do  not  now  think  it  would  be  appropiiate  for  a  National  Holiday, 
but  the  day  of  his  birth  would.) 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  145' 

Desiring  to  extend  these  services  throughout  the  land,  and  to  secure  the  co- 
operation of  all  patriotic  citizens  in  its  most  laudable  undertakings,  this  organiza- 
tion, regarding  itself  merely  as  a  standing  committee  of  the  people,  has  provided 
lor  the  admission  of  honorary  members,  and  has  procured  finely  engraved  certifi- 
cates of  such  membership.  These  certificates  are  printed  upon  fine  paper,  about 
fourteen  inches  wide  and  seventeen  inches  long,  and  contain  a  medallion  portrait 
of  ABKAHAM  LINCOLN,  and  correct  views  of  his  former  residence  in  Springfield, 
and  of  the  Monument  beneath  which  lie  his  remains.  Any  person,  upon  the  pay- 
ment of  five  dollars,  or  upwards,  can  become  an  honorary  member,  and  receive 
one  of  these  certificates,  showing  the  name  of  the  donor  and  the  amount  of  his 
gift ;  which  certificate  will  be  signed  .by  the  officers  of  the  organization,  under  its 
corporate  seal. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOK,  therefore,  appeals  to  all  who  are  in  sympathy 
with  its  purposes,  to  assist  in  their  accomplishment  by  enrolling  themselves  as 
honorary  members,  and  lending  their  influence  to  the  attainment  of  its  objects. 

Neither  personal  nor  mercenary  interests  are  to  be  subserved,  but  the  only 
object  is  to  remember  in  a  fitting  manner  the  example  and  virtues  of  the  immortal 
LINCOLN. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONU- 
AIENT  ASSOCIATION,  under  whose  supervision  the  splendid 
Mausoleum  at  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  to  the  memory  of  Presi- 
dent LINCOLN,  has  been  erected,  commands  THE  LINCOLN 
GUARD  OF  HONOR  as  follows: 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  February  23, 1882. 

"The  organization  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOB,  and  the  action  taken 
"by  it  in  holding  Memorial  Services  at  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  meets  with 
the  hearty  approval  of  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT  ASSOCIATION,  and 
the  public  are  assured  that  the  gentlemen  composing  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF 
HONOR  are  reputable  and  patriotic  citizens,  whose  object  is  to  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  They  are  worthy  of  public  confidence. 
Signed :  JOHN  T.  STUART, 

JAMES  C.  CONKLING, 
JOHN  WILLIAMS, 
Ex.  Com.  Nat'l  Lincoln  Monument  Ass'n." 

Applications  for  honorary  membership  may  be  addressed  to  any  member  of  THE 
LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

G.  S.  DANA,  President,  J.  P.  LINDLET, 

J.  N.  EEECE,  Vice-Pres't.        EDWARD  S.JOHNSON. 
J.  C.  POWER,  Secretary.          N.  B.  WIGGINS. 
JAS.  F.  McNEiLL,  Treasurer.  HORACE  CHAPIN. 
CLINTON  L.  CONKLING. 

The  report  was  approved,  and  the  committee  directed  to. 
have  one  thousand  copies  printed  for  distribution. 


146  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

OUR  THIRD  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

Our  two  previous  Memorial  Services  having  been  held  at 
seven  o'clock  and  twenty-two  minutes  in  the  morning,  corres- 
ponding with  the  time  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  expressed  our 
sentiments  on  the  subject,  but  it  was  found  to  be  too  damp 
and  chilly  for  the  comfort  of  those  in  attendance,  therefore 
it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  Memorial  Services  April  15,  1882,  be  held  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  at  the  Catacomb  of  the  Monument,  and  that  Mr.  Volney  Hickox  be 
employed  to  report  the  proceedings  at  an  expense  not  to  exceed  five  dollars. 

At  a  meeting  held  Monday,  May  10,  1882,  the  hour  for 
•memorial  services  was  changed  from  two  to  half  past  two  in. 
the  afternoon. 

The  following  was  adopted  as  the 

PROGRAMME  OF  MEMORIAL  SERVICES. 

TO  BE  HELD  ON  THE  SEVENTEENTH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE  DEATH  OP 
ABKAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Services  will  begin  at  half  past  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  April  15th.  They 
will  be  held  at  the  Catacomb  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  under  the 
auspices  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUAKD  or  HONOR. 

A  cordial  invitation  is  extended  to  all  citizens,  and  strangers  who  may  be  in  the 
city,  to  be  present  and  unite  in  the  services. 

OEDEK  OP  EXEKCISES. 

PRAYER,  By  Rev.  D.   S.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  of  the   Second  Presbyterian  Church. 

SINGING,        -        -        "In  Memoriam,  Abraham  Lincoln,"  Seller^ 

Geo.  A.  Sanders,  -  Conductor. 

DOUBLE  QUARTETTE. 

Soprano.  Alto. 

Miss  Lizzie  Hibbs,  Miss  Lulu  Hibbs. 

Mrs.  W.  L.  Barlow.  Mrs.  J.  F.  McNeilL 

Tenor.  Bass. 

Mr.  Geo.  A.  Sanders,  Mr.  Fred.  Wilms, 

Mr.  H.  F.  Velde.  Mr.  Harry  M.  Snape. 

ORGANIST — Miss  Minnie  Goodwin. 

ADDRESS,  By  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

HEADING — Reminiscences — Extracts  from  a  Temperance  Address  by  Lincoln, 

and  Eulogy  on  him,  by  an  ex- Confederate  Soldier. 

By  J.  C.  Power. 

SINGING,        -         "Our  Noble  Chief  has  Passed  Away,"         -        J  R.  Thomas, 
ADDRESS,  _____  By  Hon.  James  A.  Connolly. 

RECITATION,  -  By  Mrs.  Edward  S.  Johnson. 

SINGING,  __-__.  -      "America." 

PRAYER  AND  BENEDICTION,  By  Rev.  W.  S.  Matthew,  of  the  Second  M.  E.  Church. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  147 

Five  hundred  copies  of  the  programme  were  ordered  printed 
for  use  on  Lincoln  Memorial  Day. 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  near  the  catacomb 
at  half  past  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  April 
15,  1882,  for  our  third  memorial  service.  All  the  nine  mem- 
bers of  The  Guard  of  Honor  were  present,  and  about  one- 
thousand  citizens  and  strangers.  The  afternoon  was  clear, 
warm  and  pleasant.  The  sarcophagus  was  covered  with  ever- 
greens and  flowers,  with  a  goodly  display  of  flowering  plants. 

President  G.  S.  Dana,  as  master  of  ceremonies,  took  the- 
platform  at  exactly  half  past  two  o'clock,  and  called  upon; 
Kev.  D.  S.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  who  offered  the 

OPENING  PRAYER. 

O  Lord  God,  the  God  of  our  father's,  and  our  God.  "We  gather  again  beside  the 
sacred  dust  of  the  great  and  good  man,  whose  name  the  Nation  reveres,  and  whose 
virtues  we  love  to  commemorate.  Look  upon  us  in  mercy  we  beseech  Thee,  as- 
our  tears  flow  afresh  at  the  remembrance  of  his  sad  and  sudden  departure  from 
the  midst  of  the  people,  and  comfort  us  with  the  renewed  assurance  that  he  still 
lives.  "We  thank  Thee  that,  though  good  men  are  taken  out  of  the  world,  their 
character  and  influence  are  an  abiding  legacy, — that 
"  Only  the  actions  of  the  just 

Smell  sweet  and  blossom  in  the  dust." 

"We  praise  Thee  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  Thou  didst  raise  up  in  the  Nation's 
great  trial  time,  and  for  the  principles  of  truth  and  justice  and  mercy  and  liberty 
which  he  so  nobly  upheld  and  advanced,  and  which  remain  for  us  to  cherish  this 
day. 

Now  we  pray,  O  Father,  that  Thou  wilt  visit  the  widow  who,  in  weariness  and 
loneliness,  renews  her  deep  sorrow  to-day,  and  sustain  and  soothe  her  with  thy 
grace. 

Have  compassion  upon  the  millions  whose  fetters  of  slavery  were  broken  by  the 
great  Proclamation,  and  speedily  lift  them  up  to  the  higher  freedom  which  civiliza- 
tion and  education  bring. 

"We  recommend  to  Thee  the  soldier  and  sailor  who  have  especial  interest  in  the 
memories  of  this  day,  and  all  who  with  them  and  us  hold  sacred  this  anniversary. 

We  commend  also  to  Thy  keeping  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  his- 
Cabinet,  the  Congress  of  our  Nation,  and  all  who  are  entrusted  with  the  responsi- 
bility of  office.  Help  all  to  fulfill  their  trusts  in  thy  fear  and  love. 

Be  Thou,  O  God,  our  Guard  and  Protector,  as  Thou  wast  the  defender  of  our 
fathers.  Bless  all  the  words  we  are  about  to  hear  to-day,  and  the  thoughts  that 
shall  fill  our  minds,  and  the  feelings  that  touch  our  hearts.  May  they  be  inspira- 
tion to  us,  prompting  us,  by  Thy  grace,  to  be  ever  ready  to  give  ourselves  in  ser- 
vice and  sacrifice,  under  Thee,  for  the  good  of  our  country  and  cf  mankind.  Hear 
us  for  Jesus  sake.  Amen. 


148  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

The  double  Quartette  continued  the  exercises  by  singing: 
"!N  MEMORIAM,  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

National  Chant. 
Words  by  "W.  Dexter  Smith.    Music  by  Keller. 

Columbia  weeps !  Columbia  weeps  ! 

Her  cherished  Son,  who  struck  her  fetters  to  the  ground — 

"Who  saved  the  land  of  Washington, — 

Has  passed  from  earth's  most  distant  bound. 

His  spirit  went  to  realms  on  high, — 
His  dust  alone,  the  earth  could  claim, — 
His  memory  will  never  die 
While  freemen  live  to  bless  his  name. 

Columbia  swears  anew  her  vow, 
To  guard  the  birth-right  of  the  free  ; 
Unsheathed  her  sword  of  Justice,  now — 
Since  Mercy  fell  by  Tyranny. 

Our  Nation's  hopes  and  fears  alike 
Are  with  the  land  our  fathers  trod, — 
And  while  for  Freedom  now  we  strike, 
Our  future  is  alone  with  God. 

ADDRESS  BY  Gov.  S.  M.  CULLOM. 

« 

Gov.  Cullom  was  then  introduced,  and  after  alluding  to  his 
having  been  present  upon  each  former  occasion,  in  which 
memorial  exercises  had  been  held  by  The  Guard  of  Honor, 
spoke  as  follows: 

MB.  PRESIDENT,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : — We  turn  aside  to-day  from  our 
ordinary  labors  to  again  manifest  our  love  for  the  illustrious  dead,  and  to  renew 
our  faith  in  those  principles  of  right  and  truth  which  were  exemplified  in  the  life 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  great  of  earth  do  not  belong  to  any  age  or  clime,  but  are  the  common  heri- 
tage of  all  nations  and  peoples. 

In  paying  our  tributes  of  respect  and  admiration  for  the  noble  lives  of  LaFayette 
or  Nelson,  or  Farragut,  we  do  not  ask  when  or  where  they  lived,  but  think  of  what 
they  did  to  make  mankind  freer,  braver  and  better.  When  the  names  of  Burns 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  149 

and  Scott,  and  Longfellow  are  spoken,  we  think  of  what  they  said,  of  the  thoughts 
they  made  to  breathe  and  bum  in  behalf  of  justice  and  truth  and  vritue,  and  our 
hearts  at  once  respond — these  were  friends  of  the  race. 

The  world  venerates  the  name  of  Washington,  not  alone  because  he  was  au 
American,  but  because  he  was  a  great  and  noble  man,  and  a  friend  of  the  people. 

We  stand  here  to-day  under  the  shadow  of  this  granite  monument.  It  is  right 
and  proper  that  loving  hearts  and  hands  should  build  it.  But,  my  friends,  it  is  not 
necessary  that  the  world  should  erect  granite  shafts  or  fashion  marble  tombs  to 
perpetuate  frhe  memory  of  the  great  of  earth, — more  lasting  monuments  are  found 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  where  are  enshrined  the  virtues  and  heroic  deeds  of  the 
honored  dead,  in  ineffaceable  and  undecaying  characters. 

We  do  not  ask  to  behold  the  resting  place  of  Epaminondas  or  Cromwell  or  Sidney 
or  Jefferson — monuments  raised  to  their  memories  will  decay  and  crumble  back  to 
dust,  but  what  they  performed  will  remain  as  long  as  the  everlasting  hills. 

The  life  of  Lincoln  belongs  to  the  world,  in  the  broadest  sense.  No  State  or 
Nation  can  claim  him  as  its  own.  While  we  here,  a  few  of  his  old  neighbors,  who 
knew  him  and  loved  him  so  well,  are  gathered  around  his  burial  place,  this  17th 
anniversary  of  sorrow  will  be  observed  in  other  States  and  other  lands.  Wherever 
men  are  struggling  to  be  free,  wherever  the  rights  of  man  have  been  invaded, 
wherever  the  iron  hand  of  despotism  falls  with  violence  upon  the  oppressed,  there 
the  heart  throbs  to  the  memory  of  him  whose  mortal  remains  rest  here.  Lincoln 
was  a  child  of  Providence,  raised  up  at  a  period  in  our  history  when  there  was 
need  for  such  a  man.  A  pioneer,  raised  in  a  cabin,  in  his  youth  and  early  manhood 
laboring  with  his  hands — acquainted  with  the  woods  and  the  fields,  he  communed 
with  nature  in  all  its  grandeur^  and  beauty,  as  it  voiced  itself  to  this  quiet  man  ol 
destiny. 

With  ease  he  took  his  place  when  he  grew  to  manhood,  among  the  strongest, 
wisest  and  most  cultured  of  his  time. 

He  was  not  a  warrior,  though  brave  as  Ceesar.  He  was  not  a  statesman  in  the 
sense  that  Pitt  and  Clay  were  statesmen.  Lincoln's  power  lay  in  his  wonderful 
insight  of  the  truth  and  his  courage  to  proclaim  it  against  all  opposition  to  a  listen- 
ing world.  In  this  he  was  more  powerful  and  eloquent  than  Clay,  or  Webster,  or 
Calhoun.  In  the  conviction  that  he  was  right,  and  in  a  persistent  advocacy  of  what 
he  believed  to  be  right,  he  rose  above  all  party  claims  and  methods. 

In  the  famous  controversy  over  slavery  in  this  country,  he  took  for  his  text  a 
truth  two  thousand  years  old,  and  with  it  he  met  the  great  Douglas,  in  a  field 
peculiarly  his  own,  that  of  forensic  debate.  "A  house  divided  against  itself  can- 
not stand" — not  that  the  house  would  fall,  but  it  must  become  all  one  thing  or  all 
the  other — either  slavery  must  stop  where  it  is,  or  spread  alike  to  the  States. 

This  was  the  key  note  to  that  brilliant  campaign,  which  ended  only  with  his 
elevation  to  the  Presidency ;  nay,  it  heralded  the  downfall  of  slavery,  and  strength- 
ened the  arms  of  our  brave  volunteers  in  that  second  contest  for  our  National  In- 
dependence, in  which  union  and  liberty  so  gloriously  triumphed. 

He  was  a  man  of  singleness  of  purpose,  and  to  its  accomplishment  he  devoted  all 
his  great  powers.  It  absorbed  his  every  thought,  and  intensified  his  very  being. 
"Yes,"  said  he,  on  one  occasion,  "we  will  speak  for  freedoni  against  slavery  so  long- 
as  the  constitution  of  our  country  guarantees  free  speech,  until  everywhere,  in  all 
this  broad  land,  the  sun  shall  shine,  the  rain  shall  fall  and  the  wind  shall  blow  upon 
no  man  who  goes  forth  to  unrequitted  toil."  Lincoln  was  a  pure  man,  far  above 
any  deceit  or  dishonest  act." 


JL50  THE   LINCOLN   GUARD   OF  HONOR. 

~1  see  before  me  old  men  who  have  known  Lincoln  in  his  lifetime — perhaps  for 
forty  years  lived  side  by  side  with  him — who  will  testify  with  me  that  he  was  a 
pure  man,  far  above  any  deceit  or  dishonest  act. 

We  stand  here  to-day,  young  and  old,  by  the  side  of  this  monument,  erected  to 
his  memory  by  a  loving  people.  We  can  add  nothing  to  his  imperishable  renown, 
but  we  can  renew  our  own  devotion  to  the  right  and  to  those  principles  of  liberty 
and  good  Government  for  which  he  gave  his  life.  It  is  a  grand  thing  for  our 
•country,  when  the  lives  of  our  public  men  are  so  pure  as  that  we  may  challenge 
the  closest  scrutiny,  and  no  wrong  doing  be  found  in  all  their  history.  The  world 
is  made  better  by  recounting  the  virtues  of  such  men. 

Tennyson  somewhere  speaks  of  the  fierce  light  which  beats  upon  a  Throne— a 
fiercer  light  than  was  ever  turned  upon  the  Throne  of  a  King  exposes  to  view  the 
acts  of  a  President  of  this  Republic.  Let  the  light  be  thrown  upon  the  deeds  and 
the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln — the  first  of  our  Nation's  martyrs — the  stronger  the 
light  the  grander  will  his  noble  character  appeal1  to  the  world. 

It  is  said,  "the  stoiy  of  human  life,  if  rightly  told,  may  be  a  useful  lesson  to 
those  who  survive."  There  are  none  whose  life  teaches  to  Americans  a  grander 
and  more  profitable  lesson  than  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  study  of  his 
life  will  conduce  to  private  and  public  virtue,  to  correct  ideas  of  our  relations  to 
each  other,  and  moral  courage  to  stand  by  our  convictions  of  duty. 

Fellow  citizens,  the  men  in  public  affairs  to  Whom  we  have  been  accustomed  to 
look,  in  times  of  emergency  and  trial,  within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  have 
nearly  all  passed  away.  It  is  but  a  little  time  since  Lincoln  and  Douglas  and 
Greeley,  and  Yates,  aad  Sumner,  and  Stephens,  and  Fessenden,  and  Todd,  and 
many  more  of  their  time  and  class  were  before  us  as  examples  of  statesmenship 
and  public  virtue,  with  great  intellectual  power  to  point  the  way  of  duty. 

They  have  gone,  and  but  a  few  months  ago  another,  the  executive  head  of  the  , 
finest  and  greatest  Republic  on  earth,  whose  life  was  as  pure  as  the  best,  and 
whose  brilliant  career  and  giant  intellect  attracted  the  attention  of  an  admiring 
world,  was  taken  away  in  the  noon  time  of  life. 

The  cause  of  liberty  and  truth  has  one  more  martyr — a  noble  victim  of  duty. 
Where,  among  the  living,  shall  we  look  for  counsel  when  danger  and  trials  come? 
It  becomes  us,  as  citizens,  some  of  us  holding  trusts  placed  in  our  hands  by  a  con- 
fiding people,  to  study  the  lives  of  these  great  men  as  a  means  to  aid  us  to  a  cor- 
rect understanding  of  our  duty  as  citizens  of  this  Republic. 

ADDRESS  AND  READING  BY  J.  C.  POWER, 

Secretary  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  and  Custodian  of 
the  Monument. 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMAN  : — The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  regard  themselves 
merely  as  a  standing  committee  to  arrange  for  and  conduct  these  Memorial  Ser- 
vices. We  are  not  a  band  of  orators,  but  we  propose  to  press  into  our  service  the 
best  talent  we  can  find,  that  we  may  properly  observe  what  we  regard  as  an  impor- 
tant occasion.  At  the  same  time,  however,  we  think  it  best  that  some  one  of  our 
number  should  each  time  take  some  part  in  the  exercises  of  the  hour,  and  the  lot 
this  time  falls  to  me. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  151 

The  editor  here  takes  the  liberty  of  transposing  some  of 
matter  of  his  address  and  readings  on  that  occasion,  in 
order  to  present  first  what  he  regards  as  a  perfect  gem  in  the 
way  of  eulogy. 

About  two  years  ago,  just  as  I  was  dismissing  a  party  of  visitors  from  the  door  of 
the  catacomb,  a  very  plain,  modest  looking  man  of  middle  age,  approached  and  said 
he  had  come  to  see  and  learn  all  he  could  about  the  monument  and  Lincoln.  I 
proceeded  in  my  usual  way,  when  visitors  are  much  interested,  and  completed  my 
explanations  on  the  terrace  in  front  of  the  statue  of  the  President.  From  the 
general  bearing  of  the  visitor,  I  should  have  taken  him  for  a  son  of  an  original  New 
England  Abolitionist.  When  I  left  off  speaking  he  remained  and  seemed  reluctant 
to  take  his  eyes  from  the  statue.  After  several  minutes  spent  in  silent  meditation 
he  astonished  me  by  saying  substantially:  "I  was  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate 
army  and  spent  four  years  doing  my  utmost  to  defeat  all  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  trying  to  accomplish.  He  succeeded  and  I  have  no  regrets  on  that  account." 
After  a  brief  interval  of  silence  the  visitor  assumed  a  tragic  attitude,  and  raising 
his  right  hand  toward  the  statue,  said  with  deliberation  and  emphasis:  "He  was 
an  infinitely  greater  man  than  George  Washington  ever  was."  With  his  eyes  still 
fixed  on  the  statue,  and  as  though  his  whole  soul  was  in  his  words,  he  continued: 
"Washington  had  no  difficulty  in  determining  who  were  his  friends  and  who  were 
not.  His  enemies  were  principally  on  the  water,  on  the  other  side  of  it,  or  in  the 
garb  of  officers  and  soldiers  sent  here  to  enforce  the  mandates  of  a  tyrant.  His 
friends  were  his  neighbors,  who,  in  addition  to  their  struggles  for  existence  in  a 
new  country,  were  oppressed  by  taxation  without  representation.  The  line  was 
clearly  drawn  from  the  beginning.  With  Lincoln  it  was  different.  His  enemies 
were  in  every  department  of  the  Government.  They  filled  the  civil  offices,  they 
commanded  his  skeleton  of  an  army,  they  trod  the  decks  of  his  ships,  such  as  they 
were.  Where  they  could  with  impunity  be  open,  they  were  bold  and  outspoken. 
"Where  it  was  policy  they  were  wily,  complaisant  and  cautious.  It  required  two 
years,  or  hah*  his  first  term,  to  learn  who  were  friends  and  who  were  enemies,  but 
he  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  And  the  most  beautiful  thing  about  it  was,  that 
through  it  all,  a  little  child  could  approach  him  with  perfect  confidence  and  make 
known  its  wants,  while  at  the  same  time  the  most  wily  statesman  could  not  swerve 
liim  a  hair's  breadth  from  what  he  believed  to  be  right ! " 

On  the  morning  of  March  6,  1879,  a  company  of  ladies,  composing  a  committee 
of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  under  the  leadership  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Union,  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard,  visited  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment, and  held  a  prayer  meeting  on  the  terrace,  under  the  shadow  of  the  statue  of 
Lincoln. 

As  many  of  them  had  never  visited  the  monument  before,  I,  at  the  close  of  the 
meeting,  invited  all  into  Memorial  Hall.  In  explaining  to  them  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  bust  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  taken,  I  showed  them  a  cast  of  his  right 
hand,  and  in  giving  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Volk,  the  artist,  ob- 
tained it,  incidentally  remarked  that  it  was  a  cast  of  the  hand  that  afterward  untied 
the  hardest  knot  we  ever  had '  in  this  country,  alluding,  of  course,  to  slavery  and 
the  Emancipation  Proclamation.  After  a  momentary  silence,  seemingly  to  divine 
my  meaning,  one  of  the  ladies  said  :  "We  understand  you;  slavery  was  a  very 
hard  knot,  but  it  was  only  local.  Whisky  is  a  much  worse  one,  for  it  is  every - 
"where,  no  family  is  safe.  We  are  trying  to  untie  that."  This  impressed  me  as  i 


152  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

putting  the  question  with  great  force.  The  ladies  went  from  Memorial  Hall  direct 
to  the  State  Capitol  and  presented  to  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  their  great  peti- 
tion, supported  by  100,000  names,  asking  for  Home  Protection  by  giving  the  ballot 
to  women,  where  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks  is  the  question. 
In  view  of  later  developments,  their  action  in  coming  to  Lincoln's  tomb  to  pray 
for  the  success  of  the  cause  of  temperance,  was  more  appropriate  than  they  at  the 
time  knew. 

The  full  copy  of  an  address  on  temperance  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
has  recently  been  discovered.  It  appeared  March  26,  1842, 
in  the  "Sangamo  Journal,"  of  which  the  present  Illinois  State 
Journal  is  the  successor.  The  editor  feels  sure  that  the  friends 
of  Lincoln,  rather  than  see  the  selections  he  read  from  that 
paper,  would  prefer  to  see  it  in  full  and  have  it  preserved  in 
a  permanent  form,  therefore  it  is  given  entire.  Previous  to 
delivering  that  address  Mr.  Lincoln'  had  served  three  terms 
in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  of  Illinois.  During  those 
terms  he  was  remarkable  for  speaking  little  and  listening 
much.  If  newspaper  reporters  had  been  as  numerous  then  as 
now,  there  is  little  doubt  that  many  wise  sayings  of  his  would 
have  been  preserved  that  are  now  forever  lost;  but  we  are 
amply  compensated  for  the  loss  in  having  escaped  the  report- 
ers. This  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
that  was  ever  printed: 

AN    ADDRESS. 

I 

Delivered  before  the  Washingtonian  Temperance  Society,  at  Springfield,  Illinois, . 
on  the  22d  day  of  February,  1842. 

BY  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  ESQ. 

Although  the  Temperance  cause  has  been  in  progress  for  nearly  twenty  years,  it 
is  apparent  to  all  that  it  is  just  now  bein^j  crowned  with  a  degree  of  success  hitherto 
unparalleled. 

The  list  of  its  friends  is  daily  swelled  by  the  additions  of  fifties,  of  hundreds 
and  of  thousands.  The  cause  itself  seems  suddenly  transformed  from  a  cold, 
abstract  theory,  to  a  living,  breathing,  active  and  powerful  chieftain,  going  forth 
"conquering  and  to  conquer."  The  citadels  of  its  great  adversary  are  daily  being 
stormed  and  dismantled ;  his  temples  and  his  altars,  where  the  rites  of  his  idola- 
trous worship  have  long  been  performed,  and  where  human  sacrifices  have. long 
1  been  wont  to  be  made,  are  daily  desecrated  and  deserted.  The  trump  of  the  con- 
queror's fame  is  sounding  from  hill  to  hill,  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  land  to  land, 
and  calling  millions  to  his  standard  blast. 

For  this  new  and  splendid  success,  we  heartily  rejoice.  That  that  success  is  sa 
much  greater  now,  than  heretofore,  is  doubtless  owing  to  rational  causes ;  and  if 
we  would  have  it  continue,  we  shall  do  well  to  enquire  what  those  causes  are. 

The  warfare  heretofore  waged  against  the  demon  intemperance,  has  somehow 
or  other  been  erroneous.  Either  the  champions  engaged,  or  the  tactics  they 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  15& 

adopted,  have  not  been  the  most  proper.  These  champions,  for  the  most  part,  have 
been  preachers,  lawyers  and  hired  agents.  Between  these  and  the  mass  of  mankind, 
there  is  a  want  of  approachability,  if  the  term  be  admissible,  partial  at  least,  fatal 
to  their  success.  They  are  supposed  to  have  no  sympathy  of  feeling  or  interest 
with  those  very  persons  whom  it  is  their  object  to  convince  and  persuade.  • 

And  again,  it  is  so  easy  and  so  common  to  ascribe  motives  to  men  of  thes*e 
classes,  other  than  those  they  profess  to  act  upon.  The  preacher,  it  is  said,  advo- 
vates  temperance  because  he  is  fanatic,  and  desires  a  union  of  the  church  and 
state  ;  the  lawyer  from  his  pride,  and  vanity  of  hearing  himself  speak ;  and  the 
hired  agent  for  his  salary. 

But  when  one  who  has  long  been  known  as  a  victim  of  intemperence,  bursts  the 
fetters  that  have  bound  him,  and  appears  before  his  neighbors  "clothed  and  in  his 
right  mind,"  a  redeemed  specimen  of  long  lost  humanity,  and  stands  up  with  tears 
of  joy  trembling  in  his  eyes,  to  tell  of  the  miseries  once  endured,  now  to  be  en- 
dured no  more  for  ever ;  of  his  once  naked  and  starving  children,  now  clad  and  fed 
comfortably ;  of  a  wife,  long  weighed  down  with  woe,  weeping  and  a  broken  heart, 
now  restored  to  health,  happiness  and  a  renewed  affection ;  and  how  easily  it  is  all 
done,  once  it  is  resolved  to  be  doue ;  how  simple  his  language,  there  is  a  logic  and 
an  eloquence  in  it,  that  few  with  human  feelings  can  resist.  They  cannot  say 
he  is  vain  of  hearing  himself  speak,  for  his  whole  demeanor  shows  he  would  gladly 
avoid  speaking  at  all ;  they  cannot  say  he  speaks  for  pay,  for  he  receives  none. 
Nor  can  his  sincerity  in  any  way  be  doubted ;  or  his  sympathy  for  those  wha 
would  persuade  to  imitate  his  example  be  denied. 

In  my  judgment,  it  is  to  the  battles  of  this  new  class  of  champions  that  our 
late  success  is  greatly,  perhaps  chiefly  owing.  But  had  the  old  school  champions 
themselves  been  of  the  most  wise  selecting,  was  their  system  of  tactics  most 
judicious?  It  seems  to  me  it  was  not.  Too  much  denunciation  against  dram- 
sellers  and  dram-drinkers  was  indulged  in.  This  I  think  was  both  impolitic  and, 
unjust.  It  was  impolitic,  because  it  is  not  much  in  the  nature  of  man  to  be  driven 
to  anything ;  still  less  to  be  driven  about  that  which  is  exclusively  his  own  busi- 
ness ;  and  least  of  all,  where  such  driving  is  to  be  submitted  to,  at  the  expense  of 
pecuniary  interests,  or  burning  appetite.  When  the  dram-seller  and  drinker  were 
incessantly  told,  not  in  the  accent  of  entreaty  and  persuasion  diffidently  addressed 
by  erring  man  to  an  erring  brother,  but  in  the  thundering  tones  of  anathema  and 
denunciation,  with  which  the  lordly  judge  often  groups  together  all  the  crimes  of 
the  felon's  life,  and  thrusts  them  in  his  face  just  ere  he  passes  sentence  of  death 
upon  him,  that  they  were  the  authors  of  all  the  vice  and  misery  and  crime  in  the 
land  ;  that  they  were  the  manufacturers  and  material  of  all  the  thieves  and  robbers 
and  murderers  that  infest  the  earth  ;  that  their  houses  were  the  workships  of  the 
devil ;  and  that  their  persons  should  be  shunned  by  all  the  good  and  virtuous,  as 
moral  pestilences.  I  say,  when  they  were  told  all  this,  and  in  this  way,  it  is  not 
wonderful  that  they  were  slow,  very  slow,  to  acknowledge  the  truth  of  such  denun- 
ciations, and  to  join  the  ranks  of  their  denouncers,  in  a  hue  and  cry  against  them- 
selves. 

To  have  expected  them  to  do  otherwise  than  they  did — to  have  expected  them- 
not  to  meet  denunciation  with  denunciation,  crimination  with  crimination,  and 
anathema  with  anathema — was  to  expect  a  reversal  of  human  nature,  which  is 
God's  decree  and  can  never  be  reversed. 

When  the  conduct  of  men  is  designed  to  be  influenced,  persuasion,  kind  unas- 
suming persuasion,  should  ever  be  adopted.  It  is  an  old  and  true  maxim,  "that 

-10 


154  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

a  drop  of  honey  catches  more  flies  than  a  gallon  of  gall."  So  with  men.  If  you 
would  win  a  man  to  your  cause,  first  convince  him  that  you  are  his  sincere  friend. 
Therein  is  a  drop  of  honey  that  touches  his  heart,  which,  say  what  he  will,  is  the1 
great  high  road  to  his  reason,  and  which,  when  once  organized,  you  will  find  but 
little  trouble  in  convincing  his  judgment  of  the  justice  of  your  cause,  if  indeed  I 
that  cause  really  be  a  just  one.  On  the  contrary,  assume  to  dictate  to  his  judg- 
ment or  to  command  his  action,  or  to  mark  him  as  one  to  be  shunned  and  despised, 
and  he  will  retreat  within  himself,  close  all  the  avenues  of  his  head  and  his  heart ; 
and  though  your  cause  be  naked  truth  itself,  transformed  to  the  heaviest  lance, 
harder  than  steel,  and  sharper  than  steel  can  be  made,  and  though  you  throw  it< 
with  more  than  herculean  force  and  precision,  you  shall  be  no  more  able  to  pierce 
him,  than  to  penetrate  the  hard  shell  of  a  tortoise  with  a  rye-straw.  Such  is  man, 
and  so  must  he  be  understood  by  those  who  would  lead  him,  even  to  his  own  best 
interests. 

On  this  point,  the  Washingtonians  greatly  excel  the  temperance  advocates  of 
former  times.  Those  whom  they  desire  to  convince  and  persuade  are  their  old 
friends  and  companions.  They  know  they  are  not  demons,  nor  even  the  worst  of 
men ;  they  know  that  generally  they  are  kind,  generous  neighbors.  They  are 
practical  philanthropists  ;  and  they  glow  with  a  generous  and  brotherly  zeal,  that 
mere  theorizers  are  incapable  of  feeling.  Benevolence  and  charity  possess  their 
hearts  entirely ;  and  out  of  the  abundance  of  their  hearts,  their  tongues  give  utter- 
ance, "Love  through  all  their  actions  run,  and  all  their  words  are  mild ;"  in  this 
spirit  they  speak  and  act,  and  in  the  same  they  are  heard  and  regarded.  And 
when  such  is  the  temper  of  the  advocate,  and  such  of  the  audience,  no  good  cause 
can  be  unsuccessful.  But  I  have  said  that  denunciations  against  dram-sellers  and 
dram-drinkers  are  unjust,  as  well  as  impolitic.  Let  us  see. 

I  have  not  enquired  at  what  period  of  time  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  com- 
menced ;  nor  is  it  important  to  know.  It  is  sufficient  that  to  all  of  us  who  now  in- 
habit the  world,  the  practice  of  drinking,  then,  is  just  as  old  as  the  world  itself — 
that  is,  we  have  seen  the  one  just  as  long  as  we  have  seen  the  other.  When  all 
such  of  us  as  have  now  reached  the  years  of  maturity,  first  opened  our  eyes  upon 
the  stage  of  existence,  we  found  intoxicating  liquor ;  recognized  by  everybody, 
used  by  everybody,  repudiated  by  nobody.  It  commonly  entered  into  the  first 
draught  of  the  infant,  and  the  last  draught  of  the  dying  man.  From  the  sideboard 
of  the  parson,  down  to  the  ragged  pocket  of  the  houseless  loafer,  it  was  constantly 
found.  Physicians  prescribed  it,  in  this,  that  and  the  other  disease  ;  government 
provided  it  for  the  soldiers  and  sailors ;  and  to  have  a  log-rolling  or  raising,  a  husking 
or  "hoe-down"  anywhere  about,  without  it,  was  positively  unsufferable.  So,  too, 
it  was  everywhere  a  respectable  article  of  manufacture  and  of  merchandise.  The 
making  of  it  was  regarded  as  an  honorable  livelihood,  and  he  who  could  make  most 
was  the  most  enterprising  and  respectable.  Large  and  small  manufactories  of  it 
were  everywhere  erected,  in  which  all  the  earthly  goods  of  their  owners  were  in- 
vested. "Wagons  drew  it  from  town  to  town ;  boats  bore  it  from  clime  to  clime, 
.and  the  winds  wafted  it  from  nation  to  nation  ;  and  merchants  bought  and  sold  it, 
by  wholesale  and  retail,  with  precisely  the  same  feelings  on  the  part  of  the  seller, 
buyer  and  by-stander,  as  are  felt  at  the  selling  and  buying  of  plows,  beef,  bacon,  • 
or  any  other  of  the  real  necessaries  of  life.  Universal  public  opinion  not  only 
tolerated,  but  recognized  and  adopted  its  use. 

It  is  true,  that  even  then  it  was  known  and  acknowledged  that  many  were 
.greatly  injured  by  it ;  but  none  seemed  to  think  the  injury  arose  from  the  use  of 


THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR.  155 

a  bad  thing,  but  from  the  abuse  of  a  very  good  thing.  The  victims  of  it  were  to  be 
pitied,  and  compassionated,  just  as  are  the  heirs  of  consumption,  and  other  hered- 
itary diseases.  Their  failing  was  treated  as  a  misfortune,  and  not  as  a  crime,  or 
even  as  a  disgrace. 

If,  then,  what  I  have  been  saying  is  true,  is  it  wonderful  that  some  should  think 
and  act  now,  as  all  thought  and  acted  twenty  years  ago,  and  is  it  just  to  assail, 
condemn,  or  dispise  them  for  doing  so  ?  The  universal  sense  of  mankind,  on  any 
subject,  is  an  argument,  or  at  least  an  influence  not  easily  overcome.  The  success 
of  the  argument  in  favor  of  the  existence  of  an  over-ruling  Providence,  mainly 
depends  upon  that  sense ;  and  men  ought  not,  in  justice,  to  be  denounced  for  yield- 
ing to  it  in  any  case,  or  giving  it  up  slowly,  especially  when  they  are  backed  by 
interest,  fixed  habits,  or  burning  appetites. 

Another  error,  as  it  seems  to  me,  into  which  the  old  reformers  fell,  was  the  posi- 
tion that  all  habitual  drunkards  were  utterly  incorrigible,  and,  therefore,  must  be 
turned  adrift,  and  damned  without  remedy,  in  order  that  the  grace  of  temperance 
might  abound,  to  the  temperate  then,  and  to  all  mankind  some  hundreds  of  years 
thereafter.  There  is  in  this  something  so  repugnant  to  humanity,  so  uncharitable, 
so  cold  blooded  and  feelingless,  that  it  never  did,  nor  never  can  enlist  the  enthu- 
siasm of  a  popular  cause.  We  could  not  love  the  man  who  taught  it — we  could  not 
hear  him  with  patience.  The  heart  could  not  throw  open  its  portals  to  it,  the 
generous  man  could  not  adopt  it,  it  could  not  mix  with  his  blood.  It  looked  so 
fiendishly  selfish,  so  like  throwing  fathers  and  brothers  overboard,  to  lighten  the 
boat  for  our  security — that  the  noble-minded  shrank  from  the  manifest  meanness 
of  the  thing.  And  besides  this,  the  benefits  of  a  reformation  to  be  effected  by  such 
a  system,  were  too  remote  in  point  of  time,  to  warmly  engage  many  in  its  behalf. 
Pew  can  be  induced  to  labor  exclusively  for  posterity  ;  and  none  will  do  it  enthusi- 
astically. Posterity  has  done  nothing  for  us  ;  and  theorize  on  it  as  we  may,  prac- 
tically we  shall  do  very  little  for  it,  unless  we  are  made  to  think  we  are,  at  the 
same  time,  doing  something  for  ourselves. 

What  an  ignorance  of  human  nature  does  it  exhibit,  to  ask  or  expect  a  whole 
community  to  rise  up  and  labor  for  the  temporal  happiness  of  others,  after  them- 
selves shall  be  consigned  to  the  dust,  a  majority  of  which  community  takes  no  pains 
whatever  to  secure  their  own  eternal  welfare  at  no  greater  distant  day  ?  Great 
distance  in  either  time  or  space  has  wonderful  power  to  lull  and  render  quiescent 
the  human  mind.  Pleasures  to  be  enjoyed,  or  pains  to  be  endured,  after  we  shall 
be  dead  and  gone,  are  but  little  regarded,  even  in  our  own  cases,  and  much  less  in 
the  cases  of  others. 

Still,  in  addition  to  this,  there  is  something  so  ludicrous  in  promises  of  good,  or 
threats  of  evil,  a  great  way  off,  as  to  render  the  whole  subject  with  which  they  are 
connected,  easily  turned  into  ridicule.  "Better  lay  down  that  spade  you're  stealing, 
Paddy — if  you  don't  you'll  pay  for  it  at  the  day  of  judgment."  "Be  the  powers,  if 
ye'll  credit  me  so  long  I'll  take  another  jist." 

By  the  Washingtonians  this  system  of  consigning  the  habitual  drunkard  to 
hopeless  ruin,  is  repudiated.  They  adopt  a  more  enlarged  philanthropy,  they  go 
for  present  as  well  as  future  good.  They  labor  for  all  now  living,  as  well  as  here- 
after to  live.  They  teach  hope  to  all — despair  to  none.  As  applying  to  their  cause 
they  deny  the  doctrine  of  unpardonable  sin,  as  in  Christianity  it  is  taught,  so  in 
this  they  teach — 

"While  the  lamp  holds  out  to  burn, 
The  vilest  sinner  may  return." 


156  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

And,  what  is  a  matter  of  the  most  profound  congratulation,  they,  by  experiment 
upon  experiment,  and  example  upon  example,  prove  the  maxim  to  be  no  less  tru& 
in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other.  On  every  hand  we  behold  those  who  but  yes- 
terday were  the  chief  of  sinners,  now  the  chief  apostles  of  the  cause.  Drunken 
devils  are  cast  out  by  ones,  by  sevens,  by  legions ;  and  these  unfortunate  victims, 
like  the  poor  possessed,  who  was  redeemed  from  his  long  and  lonely  wanderings 
in  the  tombs,  are  publishing  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  how  great  things  have  been 
done  for  them. 

To  these  new  champions,  and  this  new  system  of  tactics,  our  late  success  is 
mainly  owing  ;  and  to  them  we  must  mainly  look  for  the  consummation.  The  ball 
is  rolling  gloriously  on,  and  none  are  so  able  as  they  to  increase  its  speed  and  its 
bulk — to  add  to  its  momentum  and  its  magnitude — even  though  unlearned  in  let- 
ters, for  this  task  none  are  so  well  educated.  To  fit  them  for  this  work  they  have 
been  taught  in  a  true  school.  They  have  been  in  that  gulf,  from  which  they  would 
teach  others  the  means  of  escape.  They  have  passed  that  prison  wall  which 
others  have  long  declared  impassable;  and  who  that  has  not,  shall  dare  to  weigh 
opinions  with  them  as  to  the  mode  of  passing  ? 

But  if  it  be  true,  as  I  have  insisted,  that  those  who  have  suffered  by  intemper- 
ance personally,  and  have  reformed,  are  the  most  powerful  and  efficient  instru- 
ments to  push  the  reformation  to  ultimate  success,  it  does  not  follow  that  those- 
who  have  not  suffered  have  no  part  left  them  to  perform.  Whether  or  not  th& 
world  would  be  vastly  benefited  by  a  total  and  final  banishment  from  it  of  all  in- 
toxicating drinks,  seems  to  me  not  now  an  open  question.  Three-fourths  of  man- 
kind confess  the  affirmative  with  their  tongues,  and,  I  believe,  all  the  rest 
acknowledge  it  in  their  hearts. 

Ought  any,  then,  to  refuse  their  aid  in  doing  what  the  good  of  the  whole  de- 
mands ?  Shall  he,  who  cannot  do  much,  be,  for  that  reason,  excused  if  he  do 
nothing ?  "But,"  says  one,  "what  good  can  I  do  by  signing  the  pledge  ?  I  never 
drink,  even  without  signing.".  This  question  has  already  been  asked  and  an- 
swered more  than  a  million  of  times.  Let  it  be  answered  once  more.  For  the  man 
to  suddenly,  or  in  any  other  way,  to  break  off  from  the  use  of  drams,  who  has 
indulged  in  them  for  a  long  course  of  years,  and  until  his  appetite  for  them  has 
grown  ten  or  a  hundred  fold  stronger,  and  more  craving  than  any  natural 
appetite  can  be,  requires  a  most  powerful  moral  effort.  In  such  an  undertaking  he 
needs  every  moral  support  and  influence  that  can  possibly  be  brought  to  his  aid 
and  thrown  around  him.  And  not  only  so,  but  every  moral  prop  should  be  taken, 
from  whatever  argument  might  arise  in  his  mind  to  lure  him  to  his  backsliding. 
When  he  casts  his  eyes  around  him,  he  should  be  able  to  see  all  that  he  respects, 
all  that  he  admires,  all  that  he  loves,  kindly  and  anxiously  pointing  him  onward, 
and  none  beckoning  him  back,  to  his  former  miserable  "wallowing  in  the  mire." 

But  it  is  said  by  some  that  men  will  think  and  act  for  themselves ;  that  none  will' 
disuse  spirits  or  anything  else  because  his  neighbors  do ;  and  that  moral  influence 
is  not  that  powerful  engine  contended  for.  Let  us  examine  this.  Let  me  ask  the 
man  who  could  maintain  this  position  most  stiffly,  what  compensation  he  will 
accept  to  go  to  church  some  Sunday  and  sit  during  the  sermon  with  his  wife's  bon- 
net upon  his  head  ?  Not  a  trifle,  I'll  venture.  And  why  not  ?  There  would  be- 
nothing  irreligious  in  it;  nothing  immoral,  nothing  uncomfortable — then  why  not  ?' 
Is  it  not  because  there  would  be  something  egregiously  unfashionable  in  it?  Then 
it  is  the  influence  of  fashion;  and  what  is  the  influence  of  fashion  but  the  influence 
that  other  people's  actions  have  on  our  own  actions — the  strong  inclination  each  of 
us  have  to  do  as  we  see  our  neighbors  do?  Nor  is  the  influence  of  fashion  con- 


THE   LINCOLN   GUARD  OF    HONOR.  157 

•fined  to  any  particular  thing  or  class  of  things.  It  i,s  just  as  strong  on  one  sub- 
ject as  another.  Let  us  make  it  as  unfashionable  to  withhold  our  names  from  the 
temperance  pledge  as  for  husbands  to  wear  their  wives'  bonnets  to  church,  and 
instances  will  be  just  as  rare  in  one  case  as  the  other. 

"  But,"  say  some,  "  we  are  no  drunkards  and  shall  not  acknowledge  ourselves  as 
such  by  joining  a  reformed  drunkards'  society,  whatever  our  influence  might  be." 
Surely  no  Christian  will  adhere  to  this  objection. 

If  they  believe,  as  they  profess,  that  Omnipotence  condescended  to  take  on  Him- 
.self  the  form  of  sinful  man,  and,  as  such,  to  die  an  ignominious  death  for  their 
sakes,  surely  they  will  not  refuse  submission  to  the  infinitely  lesser  condescension, 
for  the  temporal,  and,  perhaps,  eternal,  salvation  of  a  large,  erring  and  unfortunate 
class  of  their  fellow  creatures.  Nor  is  the  condescension  very  great.  In  my  judg- 
ment, such  of  us  as  have  not  fallen  victims  have  been  spared  more  from  the  absence 
of  appetite  than  from  any  mental  or  moral  superiority  over  those  who  have.  In- 
deed, I  believe,  if  we  take  habitual  drunkards  as  a  class,  their  heads  and  their 
hearts  will  bear  an  advantageous  comparison  with  any  other  class.  There  seems 
ever  to  have  been  a  proneness  in  the  brilliant  and  warm-blooded  to  fall  into  this 
-vice — the  demon  of  intemperance  ever  seems  to  have  delighted  in  sucking  the 
blood  of  genius  and  of  generosity.  What  one  of  us  but  can  call  to  mind  some 
relative,  more  promising  in  youth  than  all  his  fellows,  who  has  fallen  a  sacrifice  to 
to  his  rapacity?  He  ever  seems  to  have  gone  forth  like  the  Egyptian  angel  of 
Death,  commissioned  to  slay,  if  not  the  first,  the  fairest  born,  of  every  family. 
Shall  he  now  be  arrested  in  his  desolating  career?  In  that  arrest,  all  can  give  aid 
that  will;  and  who  shall  be  excused  that  can,  and  will  not?  Far  around  as  human 
breath  has  ever  blown,  he  keeps  our  fathers,  our  brothers,  our  sons,  and  our 
friends  prostrate  in  the  chains  of  moral  death.  To  all  the  living  elsewhere,  we 
cry,  "Come,  sound  the  moral  trump,  that  there  may  rise  and  stand  up  an  exceed- 
ing great  army."  "Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath!  and  breathe  upon  these 
slain  that  they  may  live."  If  the  relative  grandeur  of  revolutions  shall  be  estimated 
by  the  great  amount  of  human  misery  they  alleviate,  and  the  small  amount  they 
inflict,  then,  indeed,  will  this  be  the  grandest  the  world  shall  ever  have  seen. 

Of  our  political  revolution  of  '76  we  are  all  justly  proud.  It  has  given  us  a  de- 
gree of  political  freedom  far  exceeding  that  of  any  other  nation  of  the  earth.  In 
it  the  world  has  found  a  solution  of  the  long-mooted  problem  as  to  the  capability  of 
man  to  govern  himself.  In  it  is  the  germ  which  has  vegetated,  and  still  is  to  grow 
and  expand  into  the  universal  liberty  of  mankind. 

But,  with  all  these  glorious  results,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  it  had  its  evils, 
too.  It  breathed  forth  famine,  swam  in  blood,  and  rode  in  fire;  and  long,  long  after, 
the  orphans'  cry  and  the  widows'  wail  continued  to  break  the  sad  silence  that  en- 
sued. These  were  the  price,  the  inevitable  priee,  paid  for  the  blessings  it  bought. 

Turn  now,  to  the  temperance  revolution.  In  it  we  shall  find  stronger  bondage 
broken,  a  viler  slavery  manumitted,  a  greater  tyrant  deposed — in  it,  more  of  want 
supplied,  more  disease  healed;  more  sorrow  assuaged.  By  it,  no  orphans  starving, 
no  widows  weeping.  By  it,  none  wounded  in  feeling,  none  injured  in  interest; 
even  the  dram-maker  and  dram-seller  will  have  glided  into  other  occupations  so 
gradually  as  never  to  have  felt  the  change,  and  will  stand  ready  to  join  all  others 
in  the  universal  song  of  gladness.  And  what  a  noble  ally  this  to  the  cause  of  politi- 
cal freedom.  With  such  an  aid,  its  march  cannot  fail  to  be  on  and  on,  till  every  son 
of  earth  shall  drink,  in  rich  fruition,  the  sorrow-quenching  draughts  of  perfect  lib- 
erty. Happy  day,  when,  all  appetites  controlled,  all  poisons  subdued,  all  matter 


158  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OP  HONOR. 

subjected,  mind,  all-conquering  mind,  shall  live  and  move,  the  monarch  of  the 
fworld.     Glorious  consummation!     Hail,  fall  of  fury!    Reign  of  reason,  all  hail! 

And  when  the  victory  shall  be  complete — when  there  shall  be  neither  a  slave  nor 
a  drunkard  on  the  earth — how  proud  the  title  of  that  Land  which  may  truly  claim. 
I  to  be  the  birthplace  and  the  cradle  of  both  those  revolutions  that  shall  have  ended 
in  that  victory.  How  nobly  distinguished  that  people,  who  shall  have  planted,  and 
nurtured  to  maturity,  both  the  political  and  moral  freedom  of  their  species. 

This  is  the  one  hundred  and  tenth  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  Washington. ; 
We  are  met  to  celebrate  this  day.  Washington  is  the  mightiest  name  of  earth — 
long  since  mightiest  in  the  cause  of  civil  liberty,  still  mightiest  in  moral  refornia-  • 
tion.  On  that  name  a  eulogy  is  es  pected.  It  cannot  be.  To  add  brightness  to 
the  sun,  or  glory  to  the  name  of  Washington,  is  alike  impossible.  Let  none  at- 
tempt it.  In  solemn  awe  pronounce  the  name,  and  in  its  naked,  deathless  splendor 
leave  it  shining  on. 

The  Choir  then  sang — 

OUR  NOBLE  CHIEF  HAS  PASSED  AWAY. 
An  Elegy  on  the  Death  of 

ABKAHAM  LINCOLN. 

:  Words  by  Geo.  Cooper,  -  Music  by  J.  E.  Thomas.. 

Our  Noble  chief  has  passed  away! 
His  form  is  lying  still  and  cold, 
And  hearts  that  have  the  bloom  of  May 
Park  sorrow's  wings  in  gloom  enfold. 
A  great  and  mighty  Nation  mourns! 
We  bless  his  loved  and  honored  name, 
O  brighter  than  a  million  dawns 
Forever  more  shall  be  his  fame! 
CHORUS:       We  weep  for  him! 

But  far  along  the  years  to  be, 
Shall  gleam  with  years  that  none  may  dim, 
His  glorious  immortality! 
Now  calmly  moulder  in  the  dust 
The  gentle  heart  the  kindly  hand, 
And  purpose  ever  true  and  just, 
That  freedom  gave  to  all  our  land! 

Our  Father  hear  a  Nation's  pray'r, 
And  shield  his  loving  ones  who  mourn! 
O  heal  the  bruised  hearts  they  bear, 
And  from  the  darkness  wake  the  dawn! 
CHORUS:    We  weep  for  him! 

ADDRESS  BY  HON.  JAMES  A.  CONNOLLY. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — Seventeen  years  ago  I  chanced  to 
be  in  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  occasion  of  the  funeral  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Being  then  away  from  my  post  with  Sherman's  army,  I  chanced  to  be  the  only 
volunteer  officer  from  the  State  of  Illinois,  perhaps,  and  was  detailed  upon  the  • 
guard  that  took  charge  of  the  remains  of  the  departed  President  in  the  City  Hall . 
of  New  York.    I  remained  on  that  duty  from  midnight  until  3  o'clock  in  the  morn-  - 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  151) 

ing,  and  there  saw  what  I  never  expect  to  see  again  in  this  country,  the  entire 
devotion  of  all  classes  of  people,  rich  and  poor,  black  and  white,  to  the  memory  of 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

I  did  not  then  expect,  nor  indeed  think  of  it,  that  in  the  lapse  of  seventeen  years  I 
should  find  myself  here  before  an  audience  of  his  old  friends  and  neighbors,  standing 
by  the  side  of  his  tomb  upon  an  occasion  of  this  sort,  to  commemorate  the  virtues  and 
worth  of  that  great  man.  But  so  is  it  with  men  like  him,  as  the  years  pass  by  and 
their  personality  recedes  into  the  past,  their  greatness  rises  more  and  more  to  view, 
and  the  generations  that  are  to  follow  us  will  doubtless  look  with  more  admiration 
and  greater  wonder  upon  Lincoln  and  his  fame  than  we  do  to-day. 

For  the  same  reason  that  Governor  Cullom  reduced  to  writing  what  he  proposed 
to  say,  to  keep  from  tiring  you,  I,  too,  have  put  on  paper  some  of  the  thoughts  that 
I  have  thought  worthy  to  be  pronounced  on  this  occasion  by  the  side  of  the  tomb 
of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

But  little  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  quietly  living  with 
his  little  family  in  a  plain  home  in  this  city,  going  his  daily  rounds  among  people 
who  had  known  him  from  his  earliest  manhood,  his  angular  form  and  homely, 
pleasant  face  known  to  all.  None  too  poor  or  plainly  clad  to  be  beneath  his  notice 
— every  one  sure  of  a  greeting  that  came  bright  and  spontaneous  as  the  glitter  of 
the  sunbeam.  Men  gathered  around  him  as  the  particles  of  metal  around  a  mag- 
net— he  was  a  human  magnet,  not  in  a  mere  physical  sense,  but  in  a  higher,  more 
subtle,  more  elevated  sense.  He  charmed  and  attracted  in  a  way  that  made  men 
wonder  as  they  felt  the  spell,  were  swayed  by  its  potency,  and  lifted  beyond  them- 
selves by  the  marvelous  fertility  and  creative  power  of  his  intellect.  As  he  went 
from  county  to  county  on  his  wide  circuit,  men  followed  him  without  knowing  why. 
"When  the  night  fell,  and  the  bar  gathered  to  make  a  night  of  it  with  wit  and  song 
and  story,  the  gathering  was  sure  to  be  where  Lincoln  was,  and  while  the  rest  of 
the  company  burnished  their  wits,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Knights  of  the  Bound 
Table,  Lincoln,  abstemious  as  an  anchorite,  seemed  to  draw  from  an  inexhaustible 
fountain  such  rich  treasure  of  wit  and  story  that  the  rest  of  the  company  always 
crowned  him  king  of  the  carnival;  and  yet,  when  they  looked  upon  that  sad,  homely 
face  in  repose,  they  wondered  whence  came  his  magic  spell  that  so  enthralled  them. 

And  so  the  years  went  on,  from  early  manhood  to  middle  life  and  a  little  beyond 
— his  name  and  fame  always  growing  stronger  and  coming  closer  to  the  firesides 
and  the  hearts  of  the  plain  people  who  knew  him.  He  was  the  friend  of  the  humble 
— the  champion  of  the  weak — the  idol  of  the  bar — the  sunshine  of  the  court,  and, 
finally,  the  north  star  of  his  party.  No  high,  vaulting  ambition  disturbed  him,  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  had  no  charms  for  him,  but  he  devoted  himself  to  his  fam- 
ily— his  profession — his  friends. 

To-day,  how  great  the  change  we  find  the  twenty  years  have  wrought.    The* 
genial,  kind-hearted,  sad-faced  Lincoln  is  in  his  tomb.    The  familiar  friends,  whose 
toiling  lives  he  brightened,  have  nearly  all  gone  to  join  him  on  the  shining  shore; 
the  family,  to  whom  he  was  devoted,  all  gone  but  a  single  son,  whom  the  Nation 
honors  for  his  father's  sake,  and  hopes  still  further  to  honor  for  his  own,  and  the 
heart-broken  wife  left  to  finish  life's  journey  alone,  for — 
"  The  mossy  marbles  rest 
On  the  lips  that  she  has  pressed 

In  their  bloom, 

And  the  names  she  loved  to  hear 
Have  been  carved  for  many  a  year 
On  the  tomb." 


160  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

But  while  the  years  have  brought  physical  death  to  Lincoln,  and  grief  too  deep 
for  words  or  tears  to  his  family  and  friends,  yet  they  have  brought  to  him  that 
immortality  for  which,  in  vain,  soldiers  have  fought,  kings  have  conquered,  poets 
have  sung,  and  statesmen  have  labored,  and  to-day,  wherever  civilization  reigns, 
the  name  of  Lincoln  is  a  household  word. 

His  greatness  insensibly  stole  upon  the  Nation  and  the  world  as  the  flowers 
breathe  their  fragrance  on  the  senses. 

His  fame  came  to  him  as  life  comes  to  the  child,  without  effort  on  his  part. 

Like  the  flower  that  blooms  in  the  night,  his  forces  were  held  in  check  while  his 
•country  was  bright  with  the  sun  of  prosperity,  and  it  was  only  when  the  night  of 
.adversity  came  to  that  country,  that  Providence  permitted  his  wondrous  intel- 
lectual force  and  beauty  to  unfold  itself. 

But  then,  when  the  night  came,  and  the  darkness  appalled  the  stoutest  neart — 
when  the  storms  of  war  were  let  loose,  and  our  whole  political  firmament  was  black 
with  the  gloom  of  death,  rayless  and  starless — when  the  leaders  who  marched  in 
the  front  of  the  people  when  all  was  holiday  parade,  shrank  back  from  their  posts 
•of  honor  and  duty — when  the  plain  people  found  themselves  standing  by  the  open 
grave  which  slavery  and  treason  had  dug  for  their  loved  nation,  and  when  the  un- 
disciplined valor  of  millions  of  free  men  cried  out  in  agony  for  a  leader  with  cour- 
-age  and  wisdom  to  lead  them  aright — then  it  was  that  the  same  God  that  raised 
up  a  Moses  for  the  children  of  Irael — the  same  God  that  directed  the  sling  of  a 
David  against  a  Goliath — the  same  God  that  created  a  "Washington  to  direct  the 
councils  and  to  lead  the  armies  of  a  young  republic  to  victory,  raised  up  our  Lin- 
coln and  gave  him  wisdom  and  courage  to  purge  the  Nation  of  its  fearful  crime 
and  save  it  from  destruction. 

A  contemplation  of  his  quiet  courage  when  all  others  were  appalled,  the  steady 
iaith  in  ultimate  triumph  that  inspired  him,  the  apparent  ease  with  which  he  bore 
the  heavy  burdens  of  his  country  through  all  the  clouded  years  of  war,  the  subtle 
-wisdom  with  which  he  guided  all  the  delicate  affairs  of  State,  and  the  skill  he  dis- 
;  played  in  reaching  the  chords  of  the  people's  hearts  with  his  plain  but  touching 
words,  must  make  the  veriest  caviler  and  skeptic  exclaim:  "  Who  but  a  God  could 
nave  made  a  Lincoln!" 

Who,  that  had  reached  the  years  of  manhood  in  1861,  that  does  not  remember 
"that  marvelous  inaugural  address  ? 

What  a  pause  its  Delphic  language  caused  in  the  plots  of  the  conspirators. 

It  had  the  same  effect  upon  them  that  the  blazing  torch  of  the  deer-stalker  has 
upon  the  deer  in  the  night  time. 

They  paused  in  their  dark  work  to  look  upon,  scrutinize,  digest  that  wonderful, 
ingenious  production  of  Lincoln's  brain. 

They  expected  an  inaugural  of  bluster  and  bludgeons,  but  this  one  was  fair  to 
look  upon,  its  polished  blades  so  covered  with  velvet  phrase  that  it  forced  the  con- 
spirators, and  the  thoughtless,  careless  citizen,  to  pause,  examine,  think.  That 
pause,  brief  though  it  was,  gave  reason  and  patriotism  time  to  be  heard  at  every 
fireside  in  the  North,  and  then  came  the  uprising,  and  who  shall  describe  it  ? 

The  son  left  the  corpse  of  the  parent  by  the  grave;  the  bridegroom  hurried  from 
his  bride  by  the  altar;  the  husband  kissed  a  hasty  good-bye  to  the  wife;  no  rela- 
tion of  life  was  found  strong  enough  to  restrain  the  manly  man  from  rushing  ito  his 
•country's  standard  after  Lincoln  had  unfurled  it,  and  with  quiet  heroism  called 
them  to  his  side. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  161 

The  story  of  all  these  years  of  marching,  camping,  fighting,  of  wounds,  priva- 
tions, hunger,  cold,  prison,  victory,  defeat,  and  heroic  death,  cannot  be  written 
without  the  story  of  Lincoln  being  interwoven  into  its  warp  and  woof. 

Those  days  that  now  seem  to  us  shrouded  in  a  wondrous  unreality.  Men  sud- 
denly found  themselves  transported  from  the  quiet  of  a  country  fireside  to  the 
leadership  of  charging  battalions;  from  the  quiet  of  the  plowboy's  life  to  the  active, 
tireless,  reckless  life  of  the  cavalry  scout;  the  teacher  suddenly  exchanged 
the  children .  under  his  care  for  the  company  of  armed  and  bearded  men 
each  with  his  life  in  his  hand;  the  boy  who  had  rarely  spent  a  night  away 
from  his  father's  roof,  scarce  knowing  how  he  got  there,  found  himself  in  uniform, 
with  musket  on  shoulder,  marching  over  strange  roads  and  in  eager  haste  with  his 
comrades  to  reach  the  noise  and  tumult  and  roar  of  battle  that  he  heard  ahead ;  he 
who  had  been  tenderly  reared,  and  still  feeling  the  warmth  of  a  good-bye  kiss 
upon  his  lips,  finds  himself  alone  at  night,  wet  with  the  falling  dew,  chilled  with 
the  night  winds,  lying  in  the  pale  moonlight,  parched  with  the  wounded  sol- 
dier's fearful  thirst,  and  weak  from  loss  of  blood.  Dead  comrades  lie  around  him, 
but  none  to  give  him  help  or  hope. 

All  ages  and  classes  and  ranks  and  professions  are  suddenly  found  on  the  battle's 
perilous  edge,  and  lives  go  out,  and  heroes  are  made,  and  fame  is  won,  out  of 
which  a  future  Homer,  yet  unborn,  shall  write  Columbia's  Iliad,  and  the  master 
spirit,  the  chiefest  hero  of  the  Iliad,  will  be  Abraham  Lincoln. 

But  oh,  how  inexpressibly  sad  was  the  tragic  ending  of  it  all! 

That  April  morning  shone  out  bright  and  beautiful,  and  in  its  sunshine  brought 
promise  of  better  things.  The  men  of  the  North,  with  their  swords,  had  cut  an 
open  pathway  to  the  gulf,  and  the  Mississippi's  waters  once  more  rolled  unvexed 
to  the  sea ;  Vicksburg's  rugged  heights  had  surrendered  to  the  Union  armies;  the 
cloud-capped  summit  of  Lookout  had  been  glorified  by  the  starry  flag  floating 
from  its  misty  summit ;  Mission  Kidge  had  been  passed ;  the  dark  valley  of  Chicka- 
mauga  was  ours;  and  Sherman,  with  his  victorious  legions,  had  penetrated  the 
land  of  the  conspirators  and  met  his  welcoming  comrades  on  the  Atlantic  coast, 
while  Sheridan  had  finished  his  Winchester  ride,  and  Grant  had  ended  his  war- 
rior's work  in  the  tangled  brakes  of  the  wilderness  by  the  famous  surrender  at 
Appomattox. 

All  was  hope  of  peace  and  joy  for  work  well  done.  From  every  home  through- 
out the  North  the  prayer  of  thanks  and  song  of  Joy  swelled  out.  A  race  of  dusky 
men  was  free,  their  shackles  broken,  and  themselves  lifted  into  the  bright  sunlighte 
of  manhood,  where  God  intended  them  to  be.  The  camp-fires  were  lighted  by  the 
jolly  soldier  boys,  and  around  them  they  sang  and  talked  of  peace,  of  home, 
wife,  children  and  friends ;  the  night  skies  under  the  southern  cross  were  vocal 
with  the  shouts  and  songs  and  merry-makings  of  a  million  northern  men,  who 
were  boys  again,  and  singing  their  songs  to  Father  Abraham  and  cheering  for  Lin- 
coln, for  victory  and  the  girls  they  left  behind  them. 

But,  suddenly,  amid  all  this  glad  acclaim,  when  the  angry  passions  of  the  battle 
days  were  subdued  by  the  gentle  influence  of  the  new-born  peace,  the  pistol  shot 
of  Booth  rang  out  to  startle  the  Nation,  the  army,  the  world! 

And  so  came  Lincoln's  end  suddenly,  when  his  work  was  done,  when  his  Nation 
was  cleansed  through  his  efforts  from  its  great  crime,  when  all  he  set  out  for  was 
accomplished,  he  stepped  "from  the  topmost  round  of  Fame's  ladder"  to  his  place 
immortal  in  the  skies,  and  his  life,  in  all  its  story,  recalls  those  lines  of  that  famous 
American,  now  sleeping  in  his  fresh-made  grave: 


162  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

"  Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 

We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And  departing  leave  behind  us 

Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time." 

Mrs.  Edward  S.  Johnson   then  read  the  poem,  by  H.  H. 

Brownell,  on  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln: 

» 

Dead  is  the  roll  of  the  drums, 

And  the  distant  thunders  die, 

They  fade  in  the  far-off  sky; 
And  the  lovely  summer  comes. 
Like  the  smile  of  Hun  on  high. 

For  the  kindly  seasons  love  us; 

They  smile  on  trench  and  clod, 
"Where  the  brave  and  true  lie  sleeping 

There's  a  brighter  green  of  the  sod, 
And  a  holier  calm  above  us 

In  the  blessed  blue  of  God. 

The  ravage  of  war  has  ceased; 

And  nature,  that  never  yields, 
Is  busy  with  sun  and  rain 
At  her  old  sweet  work  again 

In  the  lonely  battlefields. 

And  the  bee  hums  in  the  clover, 
As  the  pleasant  spring  comes  on, 

And  the  cruel  war  is  over, 
But  our  good  Father  is  gone. 

There  was  a  trembling  of  traitor  fort, 

Flaming  of  traitor  fleet  — 
Lighting  of  city  and  port, 

Clasping  in  square  and  street. 

*  There  was  thunder  of  mine  and  gun, 

Cheering  by  mast  and  tent, 
When,  his  great  work  all  done 
And  his  high  fame  full  won, 
Died  the  good  President. 

In  his  quiet  chair  he  sate, 

Pure  of  malice  or  guile,  ; 
Stainless  of  fear  or  hate, 

And  there  played  a  pleasant  smile 
On  the  rough  and  careworn  face. 

The  brave  old  flag  drooped  o'er  him. 

A  fold  in  the  hard  hand  lay. 

He  looked,  perchance,  on  the  play, 
But  the  scene  was  a  shadow  before  him,. 

For  his  thoughts  were  far  away. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

'Twas  dying,  the  war's  dread  clang, 

But  forever  the  blessed  ray 

Of  peace  should  brighten  the  day, 

Murder  stood  by  the  way ; 
Treason  struck  home  his  fang— 
One  throb — and,  without  a  pang, 

That  pure  soul  passed  away. 

Idle,  in  this  our  blindness, 
To  marvel,  we  cannot  see 
Wherefore  such  things  should  be, 

Or  to  question  Infinite  kindness 
Of  this  or  that  decree. 

Kindly  spirit!    Ah,  when  did  treason 

Bid  such  generous  nature  cease, 
Mild  by  temper  and  strong  by  reason, 

But  eyer  leaning  to  love  and  peace, 

Patient  when  saddest,  calm  when  sternest, 
Grieved  when  rigid,  for  justice  sake; 

Given  to  jest,  yet  ever  in  earnest, 
If  aught  of  right  or  truth  were  at  stake. 

But,  Lincoln,  'tis  well  with  thee; 

And  ever  since,  when  God  draws  nigh, 
Some  grief  for  the  good  must  be. 

It  was  well  even  so  to  die — 

'Mid  the  thunder  of  treason's  fall, 
The  yielding  of  haughty  town, 

The  crashing  of  serfdom's  wail, 
The  trembling  of  tyrant  crownl 

Dost  thou  feel  it,  oh,  noble  heart? 

So  grieved  and  so  wronged  below, 
From  the  rest  wherein  thou  art? 

Do  they  see  it,  those  patient  eyes? 

Is  there  heed  in  the  happy  skies 
For  tokens  of  world- wide  woe. 

How,  under  a  nation's  pall 
The  dust  so  dear  in  our  sight 

To  its  home  on  the  prairie  passed 
The  leagues  of  funeral ; 

The  myriads,  morn  and  night, 
Pressing  to  look  their  last. 

But — perished?    "Who  was  it  said 

Our  Leader  had  passed  away? 
Dead?     Our  President  dead? 

He  has  not  died  for  a  day  ! 


164  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

We  mourn  for  a  little  breath, 
Such  as  late  or  soon  dust  yields, 

But  the  dark  Flower  of  Death 
Blooms  in  the  fadeless  fields, 

He  never  was  more  alive, 
Never  nearer  than  now. 

As  our  aching  hearts  look  upwards, 

To  a  fairer  than  summer  lands, 
With  his  own  brave  staff  around  him, 

There  our  President  stands, 

The  stainless  and  the  true, 
These  by  their  Hero  stand, 

To  look  on  his  last  review, 
Or  march  with  the  old  command. 

And  lo,  from  a  thousand  fields, 

From  all  the  old  battle  haunts, 
A  greater  army  than  Sherman  wields 

A  grander  review  than  Grant's! 

Gathered  home  from  the  grave, 
Risen  from  sun  and  rain, 

Rescued  from  wind  and  wave, 
Out  of  the  stormy  main, 

The  legions  of  our  brave 
Are  all  in  their  lines  again. 

A  tenderer  green  than  May 

The  Eternal  season  wears, 
The  blue  of  our  summer's  day 

Is  dim  and  pallid  to  theirs — 
The  horror  has  faded  away, 

And  heaven  comes  all  unawares! 

Tents  on  the  Infinite  shore, 
Flags  in  the  azure  sky, 

Sails  on  the  seas  once, 
To-day  in  the  heaven  on  high, 

All  under  arms  once  more. 

All  the  ships  and  their  men 

Are  in  lin«  of  battle  to-day, 
All  at  quarters,  as  when 

Their  last  roll  thundered  away- 
All  at  their  guns  as  then, 

For  the  fleet  salutes  to-day. 

The  armies  have  broken  camp 
On  the  vast  and  sunny  plain  ; 

With  steady  and  measured  tramp, 
They  are  all  marching  again. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  165 

In  solid  platoons  of  steel, 

Under  heaven's  triumphal  arch,  .  ' 

The  long  lines  break  and  wheel, 
And  the  word  is  "Forward,  march." 

The  colors  ripple  o'er  head, 

The  drums  roll  up  to  the  sky, 
And,  with  martial  time  and  tread, 

The  regiments  all  pass  by — 
The  ranks  of  our  faithful  dead, 

Meeting  their  President's  eye. 
With  soldier's  quiet  pride, 

They  smile  o'er  the  perished  pain, 
At  thy  call,  Great  Captain,  we  died! 
And  we  did  not  die  in  vain. 

March  on,  your  last  brave  mile! 

Salute  him,  Star  and  Lace  : 
Form  round  him,  rank  and  file, 

And  look  on  the  kind,  rough  face ; 
But  the  quaint  aud  homely  smile 

Has  a  glory  and  a  grace 
It  never  had  known  erewhile — • 

Never,  in  time  or  space. 
Close  round  him,  hearts  of  pride  ! 

Press  near  him,  side  by  side — 
Our  Father  is  not  alone  ! 

For  the  holy  right  ye  died — 
And  Christ,  the  Crucified, 
Welcomes  His  own. 

The  choir  then  led  in  singing  our  National  hymn,  America. 
(Words  on  page  126.) 

The  exercises  were  brought  to  a  close  with  the  following 
prayer  and  benediction  by  Kev.  Winfield  Scott  Matthew, 
Pastor  of  the  Second  M.  E.  Church,  Springfield. 

We  thank  Thee,  0  God  our  Heavenly  Father,  for  the  privilege  that  we  have  just 
enjoyed.  We  thank  Thee  for  these  brave  and  true  words  which  have  been  spoken; 
for  these  inspiriting  songs  to  which  we  have  listened.  We  thank  Thee  for  the 
spirit  of  this  occasion ;  and  we  thank  Thee  most  of  all  for  the  brave  and  true  life 
that  was  lived,  and  for  the  noble  name  that  we  commemorate  this  day.  We  bless 
Thy  name,  O  God,  that  Thou  hast  never  forsaken  those  who  have  trusted  in  Thee, 
and  that  Thou  hast  always  raised  up  defenders  for  the  right. 

We  pray  for  Thy  blessing  and  protection,  therefore,  as  we  leave  this  place.  He- 
member  the  people  of  this  land,  and,  as  in  the  past,  so  we  beseech  Thee,  that  in 
all  time  to  come  Thou  wilt  watch  over  us  and  preserve  us  and  defend  us.  Go  with 
this  company  to  their  homes.  Be  with  us  in  life's  journey.  Bless  the  Nation ; 
and  the  Lord  grant  that  true  Liberty  may  advance  in  all  the  earth,  and  that  Thy 
Kingdom  may  come  and  Thy  will  be  done  among  all  men.  And  now,  O  God,  again 
we  commend  us  to  Thee.  Be  with  us  and  save  us,  for  Jesus  sake.  And  may  the 
blessing  of  God,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit,  be  with  us  forever.  Amen. 


166  '      THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

1 

That  ends  the  third  memorial  service. 

At  a  meeting  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  May  2,  1882, 
bills  were  allowed  and  ordered  to  be  paid,  for  the  use  of 
seats  and  hauling  them  to  the  monument  and  back,  for 
printing,  for  flowers,  for  music,  etc.,  etc.,  amounting  to  $33.65 
as  part  of  the  expenses  of  Lincoln  Memorial  Day. 

May  30,  1882,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  united  inform- 
ally with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  decorating  the 
tomb  of  Lincoln. 

Wednesday,  July  19,  1882,  all  the  nine  members  of  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  at  the  monument.  Mrs. 
Mary  Todd  Lincoln  died  Sunday  evening,  July  16,  1882,  at 
the  residence  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Ninian  W.  Edwards,  in  the 
house  where  she  had  been  married  Nov.  4, 1842,  to  Abraham 
Lincoln.  We  had  with  others  aided  in  making  preparations 
for  the  funeral,  under  the  direction  of  the  citizens  committee 
of  arrangements,  and  at  the  monument  quietly  attend  to 
such  things  as  were  likely  to  be  overlooked  by  others,  especi- 
ally guarding  the  entrance  to  the  catacomb,  that  the  magnifi- 
cent floral  tributes  might  not  be  disturbed  or  thoughtlessly 
marred  in  any  way.  Each  of  us  wore  the  badge  of  our  society 
which  led  many  to  suppose  that  we  had  charge  of  the  funeral, 
but  that  was  not  the  case.  The  remains  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  in  a 
double  lead  lined,  air  tight  coffin,  were  deposited  that  day  in 
the  crypt  No.  4,  interior  of  the  catacomb,  but  the  panels 
were  only  in  part  put  in. 

Friday,  July  21,  1882,  in  the  forenoon  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart, 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument  Association,  made  known  to  both  the  president 
and  secretary  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  that  it  was 
the  desire  of  Hon.  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  that  we  should  assemble 
quietly  in  the  night  time,  take  the  remains  of  his  mother  out 
of  the  crypt  and  deposit  them  beside  the  body  of  his  father. 
Notice  was  accordingly  given  to  the  members  and  that  eve- 
ning at  ten  o'clock  we  assembled  at  the  monument. 

A  full  account  of  our  labors  on  that  occasion  is  recorded 
in  Division  Sixth. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  167 


DIVISION  TENTH. 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-THREE. 


Tourth  Annual  Meeting — Names  of  the  First  Honorary  Members — Certificates  of 
Honorary  Membership — But  a  small  number  sold — Others  were  issued  gratu- 
itously— Officers  re-elected  for  another  year — Fourth  Memorial  Service,  the 
only  one  held  on  Sunday — Greetings  from  California — Original  poem  read  by 
a  brother  of  William  Cullen  Pryant, 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

LELAND  HOTEL,  Monday,  February  12,  1883. 

7:30  O'CLOCK  p.  M. 

FOURTH  ANNUAL  MEETING. 

Present — Dana,  Keece,  Power,  McNeill,  Lindley  and  Chapin. 
Absent — Wiggins,  Johnson  and  Conkling. 
Minutes  of  May  2,  1882,  and  intervening  meetings,  read  and 
approved. 
Treasurer  McNeill  made  his  annual  report  as  follows: 

President' and  members  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor: 

GENTLEMEN: — Herewith  I  respectfully  present  iny  report  as 
treasurer  for  the  year  ending  to-night. 
Received  from  sales  of  certificates  of  Honorary  Membership. 

P.  T.  Platt,  Chicago $5.00 

W.  A.  McNeill,  Oskaloosa,  Iowa 5.00 

A..  R.  Robinson,  Springfield,  Illinois 5.00 

Franklin  McVeigh,  Chicago 5.00 

Ferdinand  Schumacher,  Akron,  Ohio 10.00 

Prank  F.  Dana,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa ; 5.00 


168 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


The  following  is  a  copy  of  the 

CERTIFICATE  OF  MEMBERSHIP, 

Having  paid  the  sum  of _ Dollars,. 

Mr ,  is  hereby  constituted  an 

Honorary  Member  of 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

An  Association  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  February  12,  1880,  by  John  Carroll  Power,  Gus- 
tavus  S.  Dona,  Jasper  N.  Reece,  James  F.  McNeill,  Joseph  P. 
Lindley,  Edward  S.  Johnson,  Horace  Chapin,  Noble  B. 
Wiggins  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  and  having  for  its  objects 
the  raising  of  a  fund  with  which  to  purchase  and  hold  in 
trust  for  the  public,  the  former  Home  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and,  to  observe  the  anniversaries  of  his  birth  and  death  by 
appropriate  Memorial  Services. 


Springfield,  III., 1 88 

G.  S.  DANA, 

President. 

J.  C.  POWER, 

Secretary. 


<  The  certificate  is  handsomely  embellished  with  a  portrait 
of  Lincoln,  and  pictures  each  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment and  the  Lincoln  Home. 

The  total  receipts  from  all  sources  for  the  year  amounted 
to  $57.25,  and  disbursements  the  same.  Part  of  it  was  raised 
by  an  assessment  of  $3.50  for  each  member,  in  order  to  de- 
,fray  running  expenses. 


THE  LINCOLN   GUARD   OF  HONOR.  1691 

When  the  certificate  of  Honorary  Membership  was  ordered 
to  be  lithographed,  and  one  thousand  copies  printed,  early  in 
1882,  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars  was  borrowed,  for 
which  a  note  wras  given,  signed  by  all  the  members. 

At  a  meeting,  April  3,  1883,  it  became  apparent  to  all  that 
the  effort  to  defray  our  expenses  by  the  sale  of  certificates  of 
Honorary  Membership  would  not  be  successful.  Soon  after 
we  organized,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Lincoln  Home  was 
not  for  sale,  and  we  were  thus  relieved  of  the  necessity  of 
raising  money  for  the  purchase  and  maintainance  of  it,  which 
has  been  fully  alluded  to  in  a  former  division,  and  would  not 
be  mentioned  here  but  for  the  fact  that  it  is  part  of  our  cer- 
tificate of  Honorary  Membership.  We  could  readily  have  sold 
certificates  of  real  membership  for  ten  dollars  each,  and  would 
have  found  no  difficulty  in  raising  anywhere  between  on& 
thousand  and  ten  thousand  dollars  in  that  way,  but  our  trust 
was  felt  to  be  too  sacred  to  extend  the  secrets  we  held  to  an 
indefinite  number,  and  each  member  preferred  to  keep  them 
within  the  limits  fixed  at  our  organization,  and  raise  the 
money  we  needed  from  time  to  time  by  assessments  among 
ourselves.  The  note  given  for  two  hundred  dollars,  with  the 
accrued  interest,  would  require  $24.14  to  be  paid  by  each 
member.  It  was  determined  to  meet  it  at  once  and  cancel 
the  obligation,  which  was  done.  The  entire  sale  of  Honorary 
Memberships  never  brought  a  sufficient  amount  to  refund  the 
cost  of  them. 

Having  abandoned  the  idea  of  selling  Honorary  Member- 
ships, we  issued  a  number  of  certificates  to  parties  who  had 
rendered  us  special  services,  without  naming  a  price,  though 
in  most  cases  we  received  more  benefit  than  if  the  regular 
price  had  been  paid.  Unfortunately,  there  was  not  a  com- 
plete record  kept.  The  Secretary  can  only  remember  the  fol- 
lowing parties  to  whom  they  were  issued,  although  there 
were  a  number  of  others: 

Rev.  Samuel  Francis  Smith,  D.  D.,  of  Newton  Centre,  Massa- 
chusetts, author  of  "America." 

Mrs.  Lelia  P.  Roby,  and  her  husband,  Hon.  Edward  Roby,, 
of  Chicago. 

Gen.  Joseph  Stockton,  of  Chicago. 

Hon.  John  R.  Walsh,  of  Chicago. 

-11 


170  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Louis  Ottofy,  Grand  Forks,  Dakota. 

Gen.  Edwin  A.  Sherman,  Oakland,  Cal. 

Mrs.  John  A.  Nafew,  of  Springfield,  111. 

Mr.  Dodd,  of  Orleans,  111. 

Miss  Josephine  P.  Cleveland,  Springfield. 

At  this  meeting  a  communication  was  received  from  Bro. 
James  F,  McNeill,  regretfully  tendering  his  resignation  of  the 
office  of  treasurer,  with  a  statement  of  his  accounts  and  a 
check  for  the  balance  in  his  hands.  He  had  determined  to 
remove  to  Oskaloosa,  Iowa.  A  paper  was  prepared  and 
signed  by  all  the  other  members,  expressing  our  regret  at 
parting,  asking  him  to  retain  the  office  to  the  end  of  the 
term,  for  which  he,  was  elected.  Of  course  his  removal  did 
not  effect  his  membership.  By  common  consent  Bro.  Lindley 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  to  the  end  of  Bro.  McNeilTs 
term.  The  entire  board  of  officers  were  re-elected  for  anothor 
year,  and  preparations  made  for 

OUR  FOURTH  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

PROGRAMME  or  MEMORIAL  SERVICES,  TO  BE  HELD  ON  THE  EIGHTEENTH  ANNI- 
VERSARY OF  THE  DEATH  op  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Services  will  begin  at  half-past  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  April 
15th.  They  will  be  held  at  the  Catacomb  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument, 
under  the  auspices  of  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OP  HONOR.  A  cordial  invitation  is 
-extended  to  all  citizens,  and  strangers  who  may  be  in  the  city,  to  be  present  and 
unite  in  the  services. 

As  it  is  desired  to  make  this,  in  partt  a  Children's  Day,  all  Sunday  Schools  are 
invited  to  join  in  the  exercises.  The  representatives  of  each  school  should  be  ac- 
companied by  the  superintendent  and  teachers. 

ORDER  OF   EXERCISES. 

PPAYER,        ...        By  Rev.  B.  F.  Crouse,  of  the  English  Lutheran  Church. 
SINGING,  -  Under  direction  of  Geo.  A.  Sanders,  Esq. 

ADDRESS,     -        -        -        -        -        -        -  " .  -        By  Hon.  James  A.  Connolly. 

(Mr.  Connolly  was  unavoidably  absent,  and  his  place  filled  by  Gen.  T.  J.  Henderson.) 
BEADING— An  original  Poem,    -  By  John  H.  Bryant,  of  Princeton,  111. 

ADDRESS  TO  THE  CHILDREN, By  Rev.  R.  0.  Post, 

of  the  Congregational  Church. 
BEADING — President  Lincoln's  Sunday  Order  to  the  Army  and  Navy, 

By  Clinton  L.  Conkling. 
SINGING — 

PRAYER  AND  BENEDICTION, By  Rev.  G.  E.  Scrimger, 

Of  the  Second  M.  E.  Church. 

After  the  benediction,  the  catacomb  will  be  opened  for  the  children  to  pass  in 
and  place  flowers  or  evergreens  on  the  sarcophagus. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  171 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  near  the  catacomb 
of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  at  half  past  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  Sunday.  April  15,  1883. 

Present — Dana,  Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Wiggins,  Conkling, 
Chapin  and  Johnson.  Absent — McNeill. 

There  were  about  fifteen  hundred  citizens  and  strangers 
present.  The  afternoon  was  clear  and  cool.  A  bracing  wind 
from  the  west  made  it  necessary  to  remove  the  platform 
from  the  west  to  the  east  side  of  the  catacomb.  The  plat- 
form was  carpeted  and  bore  a  stand  covered  with  flowers,  an 
organ  and  seats  for  speakers  and  musicians. 

President  Dana,  for  the  fourth  time,  took  the  stand  as 
master  of  ceremonies,  exactly  at  half-past  two  o'clock,  and 
introduced  the  Rev.  B.  F.  Grouse,  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Church,  who  opened  the  exercises  with  the  following  prayer: 

Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  Thou  who  art  the  God  of  nations  and 
ruler  of  the  same;  Thou  who  doest  according  to  Thy  good  will  in  the  armies  of 
Heaven  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  earth,  and  none  can  stay  Thy  hand  or  say 
what  doest  Thou ;  it  is  in  Thy  presence  and  unto  Thee  that  we  would  look  at  this 
time,  invoking  Thy  blessing  as  we  have  come  together  this  Sabbath  afternoon,  and 
as  we  stand  together  in  the  presence  of  the  mojdering  form  of  one  who  gave  his 
life  upon  the  altar  of  the  Nation  for  the  principles  of  humanity,  justice  and  of  civil 
liberty  to  all  men,  irrespective  of  race  or  color,  we  would  ask  Thee,  O  God,  to  let 
Thy  blessing  rest  upon  us.  Wilt  Thou  bless  this  Nation  of  ours?  May  it,  in  truth, 
be  an  asylum  for  the  oppressed  and  distressed  of  all  nations  and  peoples  who  may 
come  among  us  to  rest  within  our  borders.  We  pray  that  Thou  wilt  bless  the 
rulers  of  this  Nation  and  all  who  are  in  places  of  authority,  let  those  places  be 
greater  or  smaller.  Oh,  may  they  be  men  who  may  be  actuated  by  principles  of 
justice  and  equity  and  principles  of  humanity.  May  they  be  actuated  by  prin- 
ciples of  honor  to  our  God  and  to  His  Christ,  so  that  they  may  rule  in  righteous- 
ness, setting  such  examples  before  the  people  as  may  be  worthy  of  emulation.  We 
thank  Thee  for  this  Nation's  gift  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  to  mankind.  We 
thank  Thee  that  all  races,  irrespective  of  color  or  class,  may  find  here  a  home,  and 
we  pray  that  this  Nation's  principles  of  justice  and  equity  may  be  so  imbedded  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people  of  all  lands  that  they  may  be  led  at  last  to  pay  true  hom- 
age to  the  golden  rule,  and  do  to  others  as  they  would  that  others  should  do  to 
them.  Bless  all  this  people  and  all  their  interests,  for  the  elevation  of  mankind ; 
"bless  us  in  these  our  imperfect  breathings ;  bless  the  exercises  of  this  afternoon ; 
.lead  us  all  into  Thy  presence,  and  save  us  all  at  last,  we  ask  for  Jesus'  sake.  Amen. 

"The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic"  was  then  sung  by  the 
•choir  of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  under  the  direction 
of  George  A.  Sanders. 


172  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

A  GREETING  AND  RESPONSE  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  SPRINGFIELD. 

J.  C.  Power  read  as  follows: 

In  San  Francisco  there  is  a  society  bearing  a  similar  name  to  our  own,  but  differ- 
ing in  construction  according  to  the  circumstances  surrounding  each.  They  hold 
memorial  services,  the  same  as  we  do.  This  morning,  the  following  telegram  was 
received  from  that  society : 

"  J.  C.  Power,  Custodian  National  Lincoln  Monument:  God  bless  Abraham 
Lincoln's  memory.  We  consecrate  it  here,  and,  in  spirit,  with  you  there. 

"  EDWIN  A.  SHERMAN, 
"National  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor." 

The  reply  was: 

NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT,  April  15,  1883. — Gen.  Edwin  A.  Sherman  and 
Brothers,  L.  G.  of  H.,  San  Francisco,  Cal. — Greeting  :  We  are  pleased  that  kin- 
dred spirits  mingle  with  ours,  while  assembled  at  the  tomb  of  our  martyred  chief, 
doing  honor  to  his  memory.  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Gen.  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  a  gallant  soldier,  a  member  of 
Congress,  and  a  citizen  of  Princeton,  Illinois,  was  next  in- 
troduced, and  delivered  the  following  address: 

FELLOW  CITIZENS,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — It  is  due  to  myself  as  well  as 
to  you,  to  say  that  I  am  not  here  to-day  expecting  to  address  you.  I  came  to- 
your  city  last  night  in  company  with  my  old  friend,  Mr.  Bryant,  who  is  to  read  to 
you  a  poem  on  this  occasion,  intending  of  course  to  be  present  and  to  unite  with 
you  in  these  services,  but,  until  perhaps  an  hour  and  a  half  or  two  hours  ago,  I  had 
not  the  slightest  intimation  that  I  would  be  called  on  to  say  a  word  myself. 

To  my  mind  the  saddest  memory  of  the  late  war  is  that  of  the  death  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  It  occurred  after  nearly  four  years  of  cruel  and  bloody  strife.  It  oc- 
curred in  the  very  hour  and  first  flush  of  the  Nation's  triumph.  It  occurred  in  the 
first  whisper  of  the  sweet  promise  of  peace  breathing  across  the  troubled  land 
when  every  aching  heart  was  throbbing  with  gladness,  if  not  with  gratitude,  to  the 
Giver  of  All  Good  for  the  safe  deliverance  of  our  land  from  the  fierce  arbitrament 
of  war.  It  occurred  after  his  own  long  and  patient  watching  and,  I  might  add,  his 
prayerful  anxiety  for  the  deliverance  of  this  Nation,  after  his  heart  had  been, 
bowed  down  with  the  heavy  burdens  which  it  had  to  bear  during  the  long  struggle, 
and  when  he  might  well  have  hoped  to  live  the  rest  of  his  most  noble  and  glorious 
life  in  peace  in  the  land  which  he  had  done  so  much  to  save. 

.  It  was  my  good  fortune — for  so  I  have  thought  it — to  have  known  Mr.  Lincoln: 
from  my  very  boyhood — to  have  known  him  well,  and  to  have  been  inspired,  as  I 
have  some  times  thought,  somewhat  by  the  noble  patriotism  which  animated  him,, 
as  I  believed,  from  my  earliest  recollections  of  the  man  to  the  very  day  and  hour 
of  his  death.  That  he  was  a  noble  man,  that  he  was  a  true  man,  that  he  was  a 
patriot  in  the  highest  and  best  sense  of  the  term,  no  man  who  knew  him  can  for  a 
moment  doubt.  It  was  in  this  city  more  than  40  years  ago  when  he  uttered  those 
words  which,  with  others  he  has  spoken,  will  live  for  his  sake  and  for  the  sake  of 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  173 

-the  patriotic  truth  they  contain :  "If  ever  I  feel  the  soul  -within  me  lift  and  expand 
to  those  dimensions  not  altogether  unworthy  of  its  Heavenly  architect,  it  is  when 
I  contemplate  the  cause  of  my  country,  deserted  by  all  the  world  beside,  and  I 
standing  up  boldly  and  alone  and  hurling  defiance  at  her  victorious  oppressors." 
And  it  was  the  spirit  of  that  earnest  patriotism  which  bore  him  up  through  the 
terrible  struggle  of  the  war.  It  was  his  earnest  desire  that  this  government  of  the 
people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  should  be  maintained  to  the  last  genera- 
tions of  men,  that  gave  him  strength  to  bear  his  arduous  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties, together  with  the  faith  he  ever  cherished  that  all  would  yet  be  well ;  and  as 
we  stand  here  to-day  around  this  worthy  monument  erected  to  his  memory,  we 
ought  to  remember  that  patriotism,  fellow-citizens,  and  it  ought  to  make  us  purer 
and  better  men.  It  ought  to  make  us  love  the  liberties  we  enjoy  in  this  great  and 
good  land  of  ours,  if  possible  more  deeply  and  truly  than  we  do. 

He  was  the  emancipator  of  the  slave — the  spokesman  of  freedom  to  all  races 
and  conditions  of  men,  and  nothing  in  Abraham  Lincon  was  more  to  be  admired 
and  loved  than  his  equal  justice  and  sympathy  toward  high  and  low,  and  rich  and 
poor,  and  bond  and  free  alike  throughout  all  the  earth,  and  it  was  such  sentiments 
which  sustained  him  and  which  I  trust  have  been,  through  his  great  example, 
transmitted  and  perpetuated  to  this  whole  country. 

He  was  an  honor  to  our  State,  and  all,  at  least,  who  happened  then  to  be  in  poli- 
tical sympathy  with  him,  will  remember  with  what  exultation  here  his  nomination 
to  the  high  office  he  was  to  fill  so  well  was  hailed.  He  was  elected  and  inaugur- 
ated under  circumstances  the  most  trying,  and  at  the  end  of  the  long  struggle 
through  which  he  led,  in  the  hour  of  victoiy  he  fell,  true  to  the  last,  and  everywhere 
lamented.  And  though  this  monument  built  of  granite  seems  most  enduring,  his 
memory  will  outlast  it  in  the  hearts  of  all  men  who  love  liberty,  not  in  this  land 
only,  but  in  all  lands  and  among  all  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth — who  love  and 
live  for  the  good  of  mankind. 

Mr.  John  H.  Bryant,  of  Princeton,  Illinois,  brother  of  the 
distinguished  poet,  William  Cullen  Bryant,  by  way  of  intro- 
duction, made  the  following  remarks: 

FELLOW- CITIZENS,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN:  A  distinguished  poet, when  re- 
cently asked  to  write  a  poem  for  a  certain  occasion,  is  reported  to  have  excused  him- 
self on  account  of  his  age,  saying  that  no  person  who  had  passed  his  seventieth  year 
should  attempt  to  write  poetry.  If  the  gentleman  was  correct  in  the  remark 
attributed  to  him,  it  would  seem  the  height  of  presumption  in  me,  who  never  pre- 
tended to  be  much  of  a  poet,  and  who  has  already  passed  the  middle  line  between 
seventy  and  eighty  years,  to  think  of  producing  anything  worthy  of  the  subject 
and  the  occasion  that  has  called  this  assembly  together. 

It  is  now  nearly  half  a  century  since  I  first  met  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  became  some- 
what acquainted  with  him.  Even  then  I  felt  drawn  toward  him,  on  account  of  his 
genial,  social  nature.  From  that  first  acquaintance  I  saw  him  occasionally,  but 
did  not  know  him  intimately  until  about  the  year  1854.  After  that,  I  met  him  fre- 
quently until  the  time  of  his  assassination.  It  was  not  until  he  was  called  to  lead 
us  through  the  terrible  agonies  of  the  civil  war  that  I  became  fully  impressed  with 
the  sterling  qualities  of  the  man.  Then  my  respect  grew  into  an  affectionate  re- 
gard and  reverence,  such  as  I  had  never  felt  for  any  other  public  officer.  And, 


174  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

since  his  violent  taking-off,  the  tender  veneration  I  cherish  for  his  memory  has,  if 
possible,  grown  deeper  as  the  veers  have  passed  away.  Entertaining  these  feel- 
ings, I  trust  I  may  be  pardoned  for  any  seeming  egotism,  when  I  say  I  esteem  it  a, 
favor  to  have  been  invited  by  the  gentlemen  having  charge  of  these  exercises  to 
read  a  few  verses  expressing  the  sincere  sympathy  of  my  heart  for  the  character 
and  memory  of  him  whose  mortal  remains  are  here  entombed. 

AT  THE  TOMB  OF  LINCOLN. 

Not  one  of  all  earth's  wise  and  good 
Hath  earned  a  purer  gratitude 
Than  the  great  Soul  whose  hallowed  dust 
This  structure  holds  in  sacred  trust. 

How  fierce  the  strife  that  rent  the  land 
"When  he  was  summoned  to  command ; 
With  what  wise  care  he  led  us  through 
The  fearful  storms  that  'round  us  blew. 

Calm,  patient,  hopeful,  undismayed, 

He  met  the  angry  hosts,  arrayed 

For  bloody  war,  and  overcame 

Their  haughty  power  in  Freedom's  name. 

'Mid  taunts  and  doubts,  the  bondman's  chain, 
With  gentle  force,  he  cleft  in  twain, 
And  raised  four  million  slaves  to  be 
The  chartered  sons  of  Liberty. 

I  No  debt  he  owed  to  wealth  or  birth ; 
By  means  of  solid,  honest  worth 
He  climbed  the  topmost  height  of  fame, 
And  wrote  thereon  a  spotless  name. 

Oh,  when  the  felon  hand  laid  low 
That  sacred  head,  what  sudden  woe 
Shot  to  the  Nation's  farthest  bound, 
And  every  bosom  felt  the  wound. 

Well  might  the  Nation  bow  in  grief 
And  weep  above  the  fallen  chief, 
Who  ever  strove,  by  word  and  pen, 
For  "  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men." 

The  people  loved  him,  for  they  knew 
Each  pulse  of  his  large  heart  was  true 
To  them,  to  Freedom,  and  the  right, 
Unswayed  by  gain,  unawed  by  might. 

This  tomb,  by  loving  hands  up-piled, 
To  him,  the  merciful  and  mild, 
From  age  to  age  shall  carry  down 
The  glory  of  his  great  renown. 


April  15. 1883. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

As  the  long  centuries  onward  flow, 

As  generations  come  and  go, 

Wide  and  more  wide  his  fame  shall  spread, 

And  greener  laurels  crown  his  head. 

And  when  this  pile  is  fall'n  to  dust, 
Its  bronzes  crumble  into  rust, 
Thy  name,  O,  Lincoln  !  still  shall  be 
Revered  and  loved,  from  sea  to  sea. 

India's  swart  millions,  'neath  their  palms, . 
Shall  sing  thy  praise  in  grateful  psalms, 
And  crowds  by  Congo's  turbid  wave, 
Bless  the  good  hand  that  freed  the  slave. 

•  Shine  on,  0  Star  of  Freedom,  shine, 
Till  all  the  realms  of  earth  are  thine ; 
And  all  the  tribes,  through  countless  days, 
Shall  bask  in  thy  benignant  rays. 

Lord  of  the  Nations!  grant  us  still, 
Another  patriot  sage,  to  fill 
The  seat  of  power,  and  save  the  State 
From  selfish  greed.    For  this  we  wait. 


175- 


Kev.  Eos  well  0.  Post,  Pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Springfield,  upon  being  introduced,  delivered  the 
following  address  on  the  Lessons  of  Lincoln's  Life. 

It  ought  to  be  true  that  I  could  speak  here  on  such  a  day  and  with  such  an  in- 
spiration without  a  manuscript,  but  habit  is  habit.  It  is  my  purpose  this  afternoon 
to  present  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  one  worthy  of  imitation  by  all  who  are 
at  that  period  of  life  where  character  is  forming.  I  regard  this  shaft  as  the  great 
schoolmaster  of  Springfield,  teaching  the  young  living  lessons  of  right,  truth  and 
God.  I  deem  the  duty  of  this  day  to  be  high,  holy  and  consecrated — a  debt  due 
our  country,  a  service  due  our  God. 

A  father  bequeathing  a  good  name  to  his  family  leaves  a  legacy  above  price.  A 
citizen  achieving  high  honor,  upon  bidding  farewell  to  the  scenes  of  his  labors, 
gives  to  his  country,  and  more  immediately  to  his  community,  the  ornament  and 
value  of  his  name.  Though  not  accepting  the  maxim  that  the  history  of  a  nation 
is  the  biography  of  her  illustrious  men — for  the  greatness  of  a  country  is- 
mostly  measured  by  the  greatness  of  her  people — that  man  lifted  upon  the  shoulders 
of  his  countrymen  can  write  highest  his  own  and  his  nation's  name  who  stands 
the  tallest  upon  the  tallest  shoulders.  A  Gladstone,  premier  of  the  Zulus,  could 
not  be  the  Gladstone  of  England,  nor  make  the  story  of  Zululand  immortal  among 
the  annals  of  time.  While  rejecting  this  aristocratic  theory  of  the  structure  of 
history,  I  am  not  blind  to  the  truth  that  men  exalted  to  high  station,  through  dele- 
gated greatness,  rightly  stand  above  their  fellows,  and  from  their  mount  of  privi- 
lege, ever  beckon  the  aspiring  youth  to  climb  up,  and  thus  set  the  aim  forthe  com- 
ing generation,  and  largely  mould  their  country's  destiny.  It  is  a  cause  of  supreme 
gratification,  that  standing  by  this  monument,  reared  by  loving  hands  and  shrined 


176  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

in  grateful  prayers,  we  pay  homage  to  one  who  was  as  good  as  great.  The  influ- 
ence of  Abraham  Lincoln  over  the  American  youth,  is  not  waning  ;  he  typifies  to 
them  the  great  possible.  How  fortunate  our  land  that  he  bequeathed  a  name  so 
pure,  so  true,  so  noble.  How  happy  the  heritage  into  which  every  child  in  Spring- 
field is  born — the  possession  of  a  patron  name  free  from  taint  of  personal  impurity 
and  of  public  corruption  !  If  he  had  looked  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,  it  is  not 
•of  supposition  to  say  that  1,000  more  young  men,  during  the  past  score  of  years, 
would  have  felt  the  bite  of  the  serpent  and  the  sting  of  the  adder,  so  strong  for 
good  or  ill  is  the  force  of  illustrious  example.  Or,  if  through  political  wiles,  he  had 
reached  the  Nation's  helm,  many,  ambitious  of  public  honor,  would  be  seeking 
preferment  through  craft,  rather  than  through  the  grades  of  statesmanship. 

The  duty  of  the  day  is  one  of  pleasure,  in  that  the  lustre  of  name  and  the  love 
of  memory  shine  from  the  life  and  twine  round  the  heart  of  one  true  as  flint  to 
the  right,  and  tender  as  love  in  its  maintenance.  Pleasant  it  is  on  this  day  of  sad 
memory  to  recall  the  virtues,  to  recount  the  kind  deeds,  and  to  enumerate  those 
elements  of  greatness  that  have  and  give  and  ever  shall  give  to  our  city  its  highest 
renown.  Pleasant  to  instinct  the  young,  gathered  here  for  a  labor  of  love,  in  a 
subject  so  rich  in  worth,  so  exalted  in  station,  so  dear  in  your  hearts'  affection.  I 
repeat,  that  it  is  a  cause  of  supreme  gratitude  that  the  character  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  as  good  as  it  was  great ;  for  here  on  Oak  Ridge  is  the  Mecca  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  as  Mt.  Vernon  on  the  Potomac ;  as  this  shaft  rises  massive  and 
majestic,  it  tells  of  one  who  received  the  highest  honor  in  the  gift  of  the  proudest 
nation  the  wide  world  over  and  far  time  back,  and  toward  it  turn  the  eyes  of  the 
coming  generation,  whose  hands  shall  shortly  administer  the  affairs  of  the  govern- 
ment. Blessed  be  this  country  in  that  those  who  follow  are  led  along  paths  of 
righteousness  and  truth.  Young  man,  whose  eyes  are  fixed  on  the  laurel,  listen  to 
the  voice  of  the  monument  that  speaks  no  uncertain  word  to-day ;  be  true  to  the 
truth,  be  valient  toward  the  right.  Young  woman,  whose  eyes  are  homes  of  silent 
prayer,  whose  heart  a  temple  sacred  to  purity,  hear  ye  the  words,  "A  sincere  life 
reliant  upon  God  can  never  die."  Out  from  the  sad,  dark  shadows  of  the  past, 
which  still  hover  round  and  give  infinite  pathos  to  this  place,  comes  forth  the  voice 
of  instruction  to  us  all ;  "I  was  nothing,  save  as  used  in  the  hands  of  God  to 
accomplish  His  own  high  ends . "  But  this  is  a  day  of  recollection.  Here  lies  the 
mortal  frame  of  one  who  not  only  reached  the  zenith  of  power  in  life,  but  lives  in 
the  loving  hearts  of  loyal  millions  in  death.  Rare  virtues  as  well  as  rare  abilities 
must  have  been  possessed,  to  give  him  such  mortality  and  immortality.  What 
shall  we  say?  Was  he  more  than  man?  Was  the  plane  of  his  life  above  that  we 
dare  walk  upon?  Was  his  divine  endowment  in  nature  so  wondrously  large  that 
he  is  set  apart  among  men,  unapproachable,  to  be  revered  and  not  imitated?  I 
read  not  thus  his  life.  I  see  him  greater  than  his  fellows  in  the  proportion  that  he 
was  more  perfectly  human,  and  humanly  perfect.  There  is  nothing  in  his  life  to 
disappoint  our  high  ambitions,  nothing  to  quench  our  holy  aspirations,  everything 
to  cheer  and  encourage  the  humblest  in  station,  the  poorest  in  advantages,  if  their 
chariot  be  hitched  to  a  star.  He  lives  and  ever  shall  live  in  history,  because  obe- 
dient to  its  law.  "I  crown  those  upon  earth  who  do  Heaven's  will."  Not  those 
born  to  high  degree,  not  those  endowed  with  marvelous  minds,  but  those  who  are 
co-workers  with  God  in  upbuilding  mankind,  receive  the  lasting  plaudits  of  earth 
and  have  their  names  engrossed  upon  the  tablets  of  story.  The  great  in  station, 
the  great  in  brain,  who  were  little  in  character,  ere  now  are  dead-weights  on  the 
flight  of  time,  and  as  she  voyages  toward  the  eternal  port,  they,  one  by  one,  are 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  177 

cast  silently  over  to  sink  into  the  forgetting  sea  ;  while  those  who  have  lived  for 
the  bettering  of  man,  still  live,  with  the  lamp  of  experience  making  plain  the 
chart,  the  pointings  of  the  compass  and  the  pathway  safe  and  onward.  Here  we 
may  find  the  secret  of  Lincoln's  immortality.  He  allied  himself  to  the  purpose  of 
God  in  the  destiny  of  the  race.  His  inspiration  and  his  strength  lay  in  this,  his 
adopted  creed. 

For  right  is  right  since  God  is  God, 
And  right  the  day  shall  win ; 

To  doubt  would  be  disloyalty, 
To  falter  would  be  sin. 

With  the  march  of  right  down  the  years,  goes  the  name  of  Lincoln  in  most  illus- 
trious company,  still  primus  inter  pares.  [Chief  among  equals.] 

To  this  tomb  let  the  boys  and  girls  of  America  come,  bring  garlands  of  flowers 
and  carrying  away  lessons  of  life.  I  know  of  no  shrine  more  worthy  of  a  devotee; 
of  no  academy  of  the  porch  or  grove  where  is  taught  so  simply  and  so  grandly  the 
principles  of  greatness.  He  was  a  martyr  upon  his  country's  altar,  but,  rather,  he 
lives  in  the  embodied  qualities  of  a  man  than  in  the  ultimate  fate  of  a  martyr. 
Strew  flowers,  glistening  with  tears,  for  he,  our  chief,  was  stricken  down  by  the 
cruel  assassin;  but  0!  bear  away  not  the  flower  blooming  in  death— not  the  wreath 
twined  for  burial,  but  the  living  imprint  of  his  life — the  flower  of  manliness  and 
the  wreath  of  honor.  Turn  the  light  upon  whatsoever  side  of  his  character  you 
may,  and  you  find  him  there  a  man.  No  man  is  great  to  his  valet  de  chambre,  said 
Chesterfield.  True,  when  applied  to  the  English  coxcomb;  false,  of  the  American 
son  of  the  soil.  The  closer  you  come  to  Abrhaam  Lincoln,  the  more  you  admire. 
How  sweet  the  glances  we  have  preserved  for  us  of  his  life  within  the  home.  I 
see  him  now  on  an  early  morning,  after  a  wearying  night  of  anxiety  over  the 
armies  at  bay,  seated  by  a  window  overlooking  the  Potomac,  an  arm  around  Tad, 
standing  by  his  side,  a  book  open  upon  his  knees  -he  is  reading  the  oracles  of  God. 
I  see  him,  as  a  loyal  friend,  and  hear  the  familiar  address  "  Jake,"  as  a  former  mate 
from  Sangamon  is  welcomed  within  the  White  House,  or  he  gives  you  his  heart  on 
departing  for  Washington :  "  My  Friends :  No  one,  not  in  my  situation,  can  ap- 
preciate my  feeling  of  sadness  at  this  parting.  To  this  place,  and  the  kindness  of 
these  people,  I  owe  everything.  Here  I  have  lived  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
have  passed  from  a  young  to  an  old  man.  Here  my  children  have  been  born,  and 
one  is  bnried."  When,  all  along  his  route,  ovation  followed  ovation,  I  see  the  beau- 
tiful humility  of  the  man,  shorn  clean  of  all  arrogant  pride,  as  he  responds  in  these 
words  :  "  I  am  unwilling,  on  any  occasion,  that  I  should  be  so  meanly  thought  of 
as  to  have  it  supposed  for  a  moment  that  these  demonstrations  are  tendered  to  me 
personally."  On  the  other  hand,  there  never  was  any  touch  of  Uriah-Heep  meek- 
ness, he  believed  in  his  mission,  and  believed  it  to  be  the  greatest  conferred  by  the 
Supreme  Kuler  upon  any  American  since  the  calling  of  Washington,  and  in  the 
greatness  of  his  work  he  rose  to  the  conscious  fullness  of  stature. 

Where  can  we  look  without  beholding  his  humanity?  How  fatherly  to  the  travel- 
"bewildered  girl  from  Vermont,  pleading  for  the  life  of  her  condemned  brother ; 
how  filial  to  the  mother  asking  the  boon  of  taking  her  wounded  boy  from  the  hot 
hospital  to  the  mountain  home.  You  know  those  stories,  so  full  of  tenderness  and 
tears.  I  need  not  repeat  them ;  we  have  his  words,  which  epitomize  his  character 
in  this  respect,  "mercy  bears  richer  fruits  than  strict  justice."  It  has  been  said 
that  he  stretched  mercy  to  the  point  of  weakness,  that  his  will  was  impotent  in  the 


178  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

presence  of  grief ;  I  read  not  thus  his  acts;  I  see  him  the  man  of  will  incarnate,, 
immovable,  when  set  for  the  preservation  of  right.  A  mother  often  says,  of  a  way- 
ward, stubborn  and  selfish  child,  "What  a  will  he  has!"  when  every  act  indicates- 
the  absence  of  will  and  the  presence  of  caprice.  True,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  none  of 
the  willfulness  of  a  spoiled  child  desiring  to  have  his  own  way,  regardless  of  an- 
other's rights,  wholly  selfish  to  his  own  whim;  but,  when  a  principle  was  at  stake, 
he  stood,  a  Gibraltar — unchanging  sentinel  of  the  seas.  During  the  dark  hours  of 
defeat,  when  timorous  patriots  prayed  for  peace  with  tears,  and  noisy  Knights  of 
the  Golden  Circle  clamored  for  peace  with  threats,  although  every  field  of  battle 
was  his  Gethsemene,  he  yielded  not;  nor  when  foes,  protesting,  said,  "  You  pass 
the  bounds  of  constitutional  right,"  and  friends  besought  him  not  to  bring  the 
paity  to  defeat,  did  he  falter  in  sending  forth  the  edict  to  the  brother  in  black — 
"  Ye  are  free";  to  that  hour  had  he  come,  to  that  end  was  he  born,  that  God's  will 
might  be  worked  out  through  him.  We  often  see,  as  a  motto,  those  golden  words 
of  his  second  inaugural,  "with  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,"  omitting 
the  still  grander  words,  "  with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right." 
Omit  these,  never!  They  are  the  shaft  of  principle  which  the  others  merely  adorn_ 
Surely,  my  young  friends,  I  can  commend  to  you  a  will  so  unswerving  from  the 
light,  so  loyal  to  God. 

But  what  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  religious  belief  ?  In  preparation  for  this  day,  I  have 
read  and  re-read  his  speeches,  as  they  are  preserved  to  us,  and  anew  they  have 
awakened  amazement  in  me  at  the  man's  supreme  trust  in  God.  Distinctly  seen 
underlying  and  sustaining  every  sentence,  is  Christian  dependence;  from  the  fare- 
well to  his  neighbors,  invoking  their  prayers,  to  his  last  public  address,  I  find 
naught  but  the  spirit  of  a  child  sitting  at  the  Master's  feet.  Said  he  to  Noah 
Brooks:  "  I  should  be  the  most  presumptuous  blockhead  upon  this  footstool,  if  I, 
for  one  day,  thought  that  I  could  discharge  the  duties  which  have  come  upon  me 
since  I  came  into  this  place,  without  the  aid  and  enlightenment  of  One  who  is 
stronger  and  wiser  than  all  others."  I  do  not  think  that  he  was  a  Christian,  as  we 
use  that  term,  till  after  the  death  of  Willie;  but  for  long  years  he  had  been  seeking 
the  way  of  life.  In  his  conversation  with  Dr.  Bateman,  in  1860,  he  acknowledged 
that  for  years  he  had  thought  more  upon  religious  truth  than  upon  all  other  sub- 
jects. The  following  years  led  him  through  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death, 
and  tried  him  in  the  furnace  of  affliction,  heated  seven-times  hot,  till,  reaching  the 
light  beyond  the  shadow,  coming  forth  purified  from  the  fires,  he  could  say  to  a 
lady  of  the  Christian  Commission:  "I  hope  I  am  a  Christian;  it  has  been  my  in- 
tention for  some  time,  at  a  suitable  opportunity,  to  make  a  public  religious  profes- 
sion." 

Such,  in  rude  outline  and  rough  sketch,  was  the  man  Lincoln.  The  man,  not 
the  son  of  genius — no  abnormal  mental  endowment  did  he  possess.  The  man,  not 
the  child  of  fortune— no  happy  lot  of  birth  or  favoring  circumstances  bore  him  up 
to  honor.  The  man,  simple,  sincere,  genuine ;  "sometimes  it  appeared  to  me,'^ 
said  his  biographer  Herndon,  "that  Lincoln's  soul  was  just  fresh  from  the  presence 
of  its  Creator."  The  elements  of  his  greatness  we  find  to  be  those  which  nature 
gives  without  partiality  at  birth,  preserved  by  the  man  at  maturity.  Lincoln  died 
a  very  child  in  guile,  and  so  a  very  man  in  honor.  Oh,  you  who  are  forming  charac- 
ter in  time  for.  the  judgment  of  eternity,  learn  the  lesson  of  the  monument  as  it 
speaks  to-day.  "I  preserve  the  name  and  the  mortal  dust  of  Abraham  Lincoln ; 
for  he  was  true  to  himself,  his  coantry  and  his  God  ;  a  true  child  of  earth,  sincere 
in  purpose  as  the  hillside  brook  hastening  down  to  gladden  the  valleys,  rich  in. 


,  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  179" 

humanity  as  the  fruitful  fields  happy,  in  their  bounty,  strong  in  principle  as  the 
granite  rocks  holding  the  hills ;  trustful  in  God  as  the  lofty  mountain  forever 
gazing  into  the  heavens,  such  a  man  I  delight  to  honor." 

The  following  executive  order,  with  reference  to  the  observ- 
ance  of   the  Sabbath  in  the  army  and  navy,  was  read  by 
Clinton   L,    Conkling,    a   member   of   The   Lincoln  Guard  of_ 
Honor: 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  Nov.  16,  1862. — The  President,  Comman- 
der-in- Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  desires  and  enjoins  the  orderly  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  by  the  officers  and  men  in  the  military  and  naval  service.  The  im- 
portance for  man  and  beast  of  the  prescribed  weekly  rest,  the  sacred  rights  of 
Christian  soldiers  and  sailors,  a  becoming  deference  'to  the  best  sentiment  of  a 
Christian  people,  and  a  due  regard  for  the  Divine  will,  demand  that  Sunday  labor 
in  the  army  and  navy  be  reduced  to  the  measure  of  strict  necessity.  The  disci- 
pline and  character  of  the  National  forces  should  not  suffer,  nor  the  cause  they 
defend  be  imperiled  by  the  profanation  of  the  day  or  name  of  the  Most  High.  At 
this  time  of  public  distress,  adopting  the  words  of  Washington  in  1776,  "Men  may 
find  enough  to  do  in  the  service  of  God  and  their  country  without  abandoning 
themselves  to  vice  and  immorality."  The  first  general  order  issued  by  the  Father 
of  His  Country  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence  indicates  the  spirit  in  which 
our  institutions  were  founded  and  should  ever  be  defended:  "The  General  hopes 
and  trusts  that  every  officer  and  man  will  endeavor  to  live  and  act  as  becomes  a, 
Christian  soldier  defending  the  dearest  rights  and  liberties  of  his  country." 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.. 

Closing  prayer  and  benediction  by  Rev.  Geo.  E.  Scrimgerr 
Pastor  of  the  Second  Methodist  Church,  Springfield: 

O  Lord,  Thou  art  high  above  all  Nations,  and  Thy  glory  is  above  the  heavenSi- 
Thine  eyes  are  upon  nations  as  well  as  individuals ;  and  as  we*  come  into  Thy 
presence  this  afternoon  we  are  profoundly  impressed  with  the-fact  that  Thou  hast 
dealt  with  no  Nation  as  with  ours  in  the  fullness  of  Thy  blessing  and  the  smiles  of 
Thy  love.  But  pre-eminent  among  Thy  rich  gifts  to  us  as  a  people  Thou  hast 
blest  us  with  good  and  great  men  whose  greatness  has  been  but  the  intelligent  and' 
forcible  putting  forth  of  their  own  inherent  goodness.  We  thank  Thee  for  their 
lives.  We  would  cherish  their  memory  and  emulate  their  virtues.  And  among 
the  foremost  of  these  Thou  hast  given  us  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  while  we  gather 
at  this  tomb  in  the  shadow  of  a  Nation's  great  loss,  we  feel  that  his  memory  will 
never  cease  to  be  one  of  the  rarest  treasures  of  our  hearts,  to  be  kept  for  coming 
generations  and  to  be  to  all  American  youth  a  grand  prophecy  of  possible  achieve- 
ment and  inspiration  to  heroic  deeds.  We  thank  Thee,  O  God,  for  his  great  life,  so- 
fervent  in  patriotism,  so  clear-sighted  in  statesmanship,  and  so  loyal  to  conscience. 
Grant,  O  God,  that  we  as  a  people  may  ever  be  true  to  the  sacred  trust  here  im- 
posed. May  we,  0  Heavenly  Father,  not  merely  commemorate  and  pay  honor  to 
him  by  enshrining  his  name  in  inspiring  poems,  or  rearing  to  it  imperishable  shafts 
of  granite  around  which  to  speak  impassioned  words  to  patriotic  auditories,  but 
may  we  still  more  honor  it  by  living  true  to  the  noble  example  he  set  of  fidelity  to 
right  and  justice.  May  we  keep  true  to  him  by  wise  and  just  legislation.  May 
we  keep  true  to  his  noble  memory  by  ever  guarding  sacredly  the  rights  of  those  he- 


180  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

died  to  free.  May  we  keep  inviolate  that  freedom,  and  above  all  may  we  be  true  to 
him  by  remembering  that  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to 
any  people. 

O  God,  we  pray  Thee  bless  our  common  country  and  hasten  the  glad  day  when 
we  shall  no  more  be  called  on  to  mourn  for  those  cut  off  by  war's  red  hand  in  the 
noontide  of  their  usefulness,  but  when  universal  peace  shall  invite  all  lands  to 
rivalry  in  the  achievements  of  art,  science,  literature  and  religion,  and  when  nation 
shall  no  longer  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more. 

Hear  us  in  this  our  prayer.  Sanctify  these  our  memorial  exercises  to  the  good 
of  us  all  and  to  the  divine  glory,  and  graciously  accept  of  us  as  a  nation  and  as  in- 
dividuals through  the  riches  of  grace  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  And  now  may  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God  the  Father,  and  the  communion 
and  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Spirit  be  with  us  evermore.  Amen. 

The  catacomb  was  then  opened  and  all,  not  children  only, 
but  men  and  women,  passed  around  the  sarcophagus  and 
dropped  flowers  and  evergreens  on  it  as  they  went  by. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  181 


DIVISION  ELEVENTH. 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-FOUR. 


Fifth  Annual  Meeting — Re-election  of  Officers— Fifth  Memorial  Service— Reminis- 
cence of  and  Poem  by  Rev.  Samuel  Francis  Smith,  D.  D.,  Author  of  "America" 
— A  remarkable  poem  on  the  Death  of  Lincoln. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

LELAND  HOTEL,  February  12,  1884. 
TEN  O'CLOCK  A.  M. 

FIFTH  ANNUAL  MEETING. 

Present — Dana,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson  and  Chapin.  Ab- 
sent— Reece,  Wiggins,  McNeill  and  Conkling. 

President  Dana  called  the  meeting  to  order,  and  Treasurer 
pro  tern.  Lindley  made  the  annual  report  of  the  finances, 
which  showed  that  the  total  receipts  for  the  year  had  been 
129.90.  With  the  exception  of  $10.00  each  contributed  by 
the  two  street  railroad  companies,  the  remainder  had  been 
raised  by  assessments  from  the  members.  All  bills  were  paid, 
leaving  $2.25  in  the  treasury.  The  secretary  reported  that 
the  note  given  by  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  for  $200.00 
had  been  paid,  canceled,  and  was  in  his  possession. 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  one  year: 

G.  S.  Dana,  President,  J.  N.  Reece,  Vice-President,  J.  C. 
Power,  Secretary,  J.  P.  Lindley,  Treasurer. 

The  following  telegram  was  received. 

SAN  FKAN Cisco,  CAL.,  February  12, 1884. 
GXJSTAVUS  S.  DANA,  President  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor : 

Your  California  brethren  send  you  greetings  on  this  anniversary  of  Abraham 
Lincoln's  birthday.    Esto  Perpetua.  (Let  it  be  perpetual.) 

EDWIN  A.  SHEKMAN, 

Commander -in-  Chief  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
WASHINGTON  AYER, 

President  of  Lincoln  Association. 


182  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD   OF  HONOR. 

'The  telegram  did  not  arrive  until  the  morning  of  the  thir- 
teenth, too  late  to  reply  in  the  same  way,  and  an  answer  was 
sent  by  mail  on  the  fourteenth,  with  kindly  greetings. 

OUR  FIFTH  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

A  meeting  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  was  held  at  the 
Leland  Hotel,  April  7th,  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
proper  observance  of  the  fifteenth  of  the  month.  It  was  de- 
cided to  hold  the  services  at  the  south  end  of  the  monument, 
near  the  entrance  to  Memorial  Hall.  Mrs.  Dana  and  Mrs. 
Lindley  were  authorized  to  expend  a  sufficient  amount  of 
money  for  appropriately  decorating  the  catacomb  and  sar- 
cophagus with  flowers.  President  Dana  was  commissioned  to 
invite  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Governor's  Guard, 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Knigts  Templar,  to  join  in  the  parade 
on  Memorial  Day.  The  following  was  arranged  as  the 

PROGRAMME  or  MEMOEIAL  SERVICES  TO  BE  HELD  ON  THE  NINETEENTH  ANNI- 

VEKSAET  OP  THE  DEATH  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Services  will  begin  at  half  past  two  o'clock  on  Tuesday  afternoon,  April  15th. 
They  will  be  held  at  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  under  the  direction  of  THE 
LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  An  earnest  invitation  is  extended  to  all  citizens, 
and  strangers  who  may  be  in  the  city,  to  be  present  and  unite  in  the  sendees. 

The  military  companies  and  societies  participating  in  the  ceremonies  will  leave 
O.  A.  R.  Hall,  corner  Fifth  and  Monroe  streets,  at  half-past  one  o'clock,  and  space 
in  front  of  the  speaker's  stand  will  be  reserved  for  them.  Should  the  weather  pre- 
vent the  services  being  held  at  the  monument,  they  will  take  place  in  Representa- 
tives' Hall  at  the  State  Capitol,  at  half-past  two  o'clock. 

ORDER   OF    EXERCISES. 

PRAYER,  -  By  Rev.  W.  H.  Musgrove,  Pastor  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church. 

SINGING,        Under  direction  of  Prof.  L.  Lehman,  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic." 
ADDRESS,  -  By  Ex-Governor  John  M.  Palmer. 

HEADING,  By  Miss  Annetta  Howard,  "A Poem  on  the  Death  of  Lincoln." 

By  J.  T.  Goodman. 

HEADING,  -  By  J.  C.  Power,  "A  Speech  by  Abraham  Lincoln." 

HEADING,        By  Mrs.  Lelia  P.  Roby,  a  Poem  written  for  the  occasion  by  Eev. 

Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  author  of  "America." 

SINGING,  -  -        By  the  Choir,  "America." 

ADDRESS,  -  By  Judge  J.  H.  Matheny. 

READING,      By  Prof.  J.  H.  Eayhill,  ''President  Lincoln's  Remains  in  the  Capitol." 
SINGING,  -      By  the  Choir,  An  Ode,  by  E.  A.  Sherman. 

PRAYER  AUD  BENEDICTION,  By  Rev.  A.  H.  Ball, 

Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.         183 

OUR  OWN  "AMERICA." 

As  Samuel  Francis  Smith,  D.  D.,  author  of  "America,"  had 
kindly  written  a  poem,  to  be  read  as  part  of  our  service,  it 
seemed  highly  appropriate  that  the  people  should  be  prepared 
to  receive  it.  There  cannot  be  a  man,  woman  or  child  in  our 
country,  who  has  not,  some  time  during  the  last  half  century, 
heard  the  singing  of  this  very  patriotic  hymn.  The  writer 
prepared  the  following  article,  which  appeared  in  the  Illinois 
State  Journal,  at  Springfield,  April  14,  1884.  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  thought  well  enough  of  it  to  have  it  spread 
upon  our  records,  and  this  will  permanently  associate  it  with 
our  history. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  State  Journal : 

MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT,  April  11. — A  few  days  be- 
fore our  Memorial  sarvices  last  year,  I  received  a  letter  from  a  lady  friend  in  Chi- 
cago, the  wife  of  Mr.  Edward  Roby,  informing  me  that  she  had  been  appointed  by 
the  Abraham  Lincoln  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Kepublic,  to  see  to  the  permanent 
beautifying  of  the  soldiers'  lot  in  Oak  Woods  Cemetery,  and  asking  the  donation 
of  a  few  plants,  after  our  having  used  them  at  the  tomb  of  Lincoln,  in  connection 
with  our  Memorial  services  on  the  15th  of  April.  The  request  was  most  cheerfully 
complied  with.  The  plants  were  sent,  by  direction  of  Mrs.  Roby,  to  the  care  of 
Mr.  William  Dennison,  superintendent  of  the  cemetery,  and  on  Decoration  Day, 
May  30th,  they  were  placed  on  the  soldiers'  lot  by  Abraham  Lincoln  Post. 

In  one  of  her  letters,  Mrs.  Roby  remarked  that  she  was  entertaining  Rev.  Dr.  S. 
F.  Smith,  author  of  our  national  hymn,  "  America,"  and  that,  at  her  request,  he 
had  written  a  poem  for  Decoration  Day,  and  read  it  as  part  of  the  Decoration  ser- 
vices. 

Mrs.  Roby  also  told  me  she  had  induced  Dr.  Smith  to  write  for  me  an  entire 
copy  of  his  National  hymn,  and  attach  his  name,  with  the  date  when  it  was  first 
written,  1832,  and  the  then  present  date,  1882.  Accompanying  this  inestimable 
autograph  document,  came  a  photograph  likeness  of  the  author,  cabinet  size.  Both 
picture  and  document  have  been  placed  in  dainty  frames,  and  may  be  seen  to-day 
in  the  care  of  Mr.  C  C.  Howorth,  at  Hart's  bookstore,  and  after  that  in  Memorial 
Hall  at  the  Monument. 

This  was  a  revelation  to  me.  If  I  had  given  the  subject  a  thought,  I  would  have 
supposed  that  the  author  was  singing  in  a  higher  sphere;  but  these  mementoes 
were  tangible  evidence  that  he  was  yet  living,  and  that,  after  the  hymn  had  been 
sung  for  half  a  century  around  the  world,  it  was  still  capable,  with  the  tune  of 
"  God  Save  the  Queen,"  of  stirring  the  depths  of  patriotism  in  the  breasts  of  fifty 
millions  of  Americans.  I  wrote  to  Mrs.  Roby  confessing  my  ignorance  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  author,  and  asked  to  be  enlightened,  when  I  received  substantially  the 
following : 

"Samuel  Francis  Smith  was  born  October  21,  1808,  in  Boston,  Mass.;  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1829,  and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  1832,  and  that  year,  at 
Andover,  wrote  "  America"  and  "  Morning  Light  is  Breaking,"  and  many  others. 
He  was  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Waterville,  Maine,  from  1834  to  1841; 


184  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

pastor  of  First  Baptist  Church  at  Newton,  Mass.,  from  1842  to  1854.  In  the  latter 
year  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  was  editor  of  the  Christian 
Review  from  1842  to  1849 ;  editor  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Magazine  from  1854  to 
1869.  He  has  been  a  busy  minister  of  the  Gospel  and  literary  worker  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  and  during  that  time  he  has,  on  more  than  twenty  occasions, 
read  original  poems  on  anniversary  days.  In  1875-6  he  spent  one  year  in  Europe. 
In  1880.  he,  with  his  wife,  visited  their  son,  Rev.  D.  W.  Appleton  Smith,  D.  D.,  mis- 
sionary at  Rangoon,  Burmah.  They  also  visited  Calcutta  and  Madras,  in  India, 
the  Telegue  country,  Ceylon,  Malta,  Italy,  Sicily,  France,  Germany,  Denmark, 
Sweden,  Norway,  Switzerland,  Austria,  Turkey,  Greece,  Spain,  England,  Wales 
and  Scotland,  returning  to  the  United  States  in  1882.  During  all  his  travels  he 
wrote  extensive  correspondence  for  the  Watchman,  of  Boston,  the  most  influential 
Baptist  paper  in  New  England." 

In  the  fall  of  1882,  Dr.  Smith  and  his  wife  came  to  the  Western  States,  visi'  ing 
their  son  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  In  January,  1883,  they  visited  another  son  at  Engle- 
wood,  111.  They,  with  that  son,  visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Roby  and  other 
friends  in  Chicago  until  after  Decoration  Day,  May  30,  when  they  returned  to  their 
home  at  Newton  Centre,  Mass. 

Not  the  least  interesting  episode  connected  with  the  correspondence  is  the  fact 
that,  with  the  mementoes  of  Dr.  Smith,  came  an  autograph  of  "the  great  ex- 
pounder of  the  Constitution."  It  is  an  envelope  bearing  his  frank,  "  Daniel  Web- 
ster, U.  S.  Senate."  It  came  into  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Roby  as  his  kinswoman, 
and,  having  other  mementoes  of  him,  she  has  kindly  donated  it  to  me. 

The  thought  came  up  during  his  visit  to  Chicago  that  it  would  be  grand  to  have 
the  author  of  "America"  read  an  original  poem  at  the  tomb  of  Lincoln.  Upon  the 
subject  being  mentioned  to  him,  he  received  it  favorably,  and  gave  some  reason  to 
hope  that  it  would  be  so.  Bearing  this  in  mind,  I  wrote  to  Dr.  Smith,  early  this 
year,  on  behalf  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  He  replied,  as  follows : 

"NEWTON  CENTRE,  Mass.,  January  25,  1884. — My  Dear  Sir:  Many  thanks  for 
your  letter  dated  January  19,  and  its  several  inclosed  scraps,  which  gave  me  infor- 
mation such  as  I  was  glad  to  receive.  I  am  an  admirer  of  that  great  man,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln— who  could  help  being  so? — and  I  should  gladly,  in  any  way  in  my  power,  do 
him  honor.  I  will  write  a  poem  in  reference  to  your  celebration,  which,  I  under- 
stand from  our  mutual  friend,  Mrs.  Roby,  she  will  read  at  the  Memorial  services. 
So  far  away  from  you  am  I,  that  I  can  hardly  think  of  taking  such  a  journey  in 
April  next,  and  I  imagine  that,  with  her  efficient  presence  and  aid,  I  shall  hardly 
be  missed.  I  shall  look  with  great  interest  for  an  account  of  your  ceremonies.  If, 
at  any  time  hereafter,  life  being  spared,  I  should  be  at  the  West  at  about  the  period 
of  the  usual  celebration — as  I  may  be — I  should  not  fail  to  be  one  of  your  com- 
pany. Praying  that  you  may  long  continue  to  watch  over  the  precious  memorials 
and  remains  to  which  you  are  devoting  your  life,  I  am,  my  dear  sir,  very  faithfully 
yours,  S.  F.  SMITH." 

The  poem  is  written  and  in  Mrs.  Roby's  possession.  She  will  come  and  read  it. 
We  will  have  "America"  sung  as  a  part  of  the  exercises  at  the  Monument  on  Tues- 
day afternoon,  April  15,  the  nineteenth  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Lincoln. 

J.  C.  POWEK, 
Secretary  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  185 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  assembled  at  the  south  side 
of  the  Monument. 

Present — Dana,  Power,  Lindley,  Wiggins,  Conkling,  Chapin 
and  Johnson.  Absent — Reece  and  McNeill. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  including  Prisoners  of  War 
and  Sons  of  Veterans,  the  Governor's  Guard  and  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  citizens  composed  the  procession,  headed  by  the 
Watch  Factory  Band.  President  Dana  was  chief  marshal  of 
the  day.  That  made  it  necessary  for  another  member  of  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  to  act  as  master  of  ceremonies, 
which  was  done  by  Clinton  L.  Conkling. 

Before  the  services  commenced,  the  following  telegram  was 
sent  from  the  Monument: 

E.  A.  SHERMAN,  Oakland,  Cal.: 

As  the  people  assemble  at  this  shrine  of  patriotism.  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor 
sends  greeting  to  their  brethren  toward  the  setting  sun ;  though  the  fame  of  Lin- 
coln never  sets,  but  encircles  the  earth. 

J.  C.  POWER,  Secretary. 

The  following  response  was  read  by  Mr.  Conkling  from  the 
speaker's  platform: 

OAKLAND,  CAL.,  April  15,  1884.— To  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  Springfield, 
HI.:  God  bless  Abraham  Lincoln's  memory.  Two  thousand  people  are  holding 
memorial  services  here. 

EDWIN  A.  SHERMAN, 

Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor. 

Mr.  Conkling  ascended  the  platform  at  exactly  half  past 
two  o'clock  and  introduced  Rev.  W.  H.  Musgrove,  who  offered 
the  opening 

INVOCATION. 

O  Lord  God,  the  Creator  of  all  things,  the  Preserver  of  all  flesh,  and  the  Dis- 
poser of  all  events,  we  bow  before  Thee.  The  history  of  the  past  is  before  us.  As- 
individuals,  as  a  people,  as  a  nation,  we  have  cause  to  praise  Thee;  Thou  hast  been 
our  defense  in  the  days  that  are  gone;  Thou  didst  deliver  us  from  the  hands  of  our 
enemies  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  later  still,  when,  in  order  to  repress  wrong  and 
overthrow  the  giant  evil  that  had  been  the  curse  of  our  land  for  so  many  years, 
when  blood  was  to  flow  freely,  and  lives  were  to  be  sacrificed  by  the  thousands, 
then  Thou  didst  raise  up  and  bring  to  the  front  a  man  with  a  heart  full  of  sym- 
pathy and  withal  so  wise  and  stern  thathe  ruled  justly  and  guided  the  ship  of 
State  safely  through  its  perils  and  disasters  to  sure  and  certain  victory.  We  thank 
Thee  that  he  lived  to  see  the  termination  of  the  terrrible  struggle,  and  to  issue  the 
Emancipation  Proclamation  which  liberated,  from  worse  than  Egyptian  bondage, 
4,000,000  of  the  human  race.  But  a  bullet,  fired  by  an  assassin's  hand,  did  its  fatal 
work.  He  dies  the  friend  of  millions,  dies,  and  the  country  is  in  mourning — tears 
—12 


186  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

fall  from  eyes  unused  to  weep.  We  are  here  to-day  to  remember  the  sad  event. 
As  Christians  we  venerate  the  names  of  a  Luther,  a  Knox,  a  Whitefleld,  a  Chalmers. 
a  Wesley,  we  cherish  their  memories  and  keep  their  mantles  with  care.  And  as 
men  and  women,  as  patriots,  as  citizens  of  this  great  country,  we  venerate  the 
name  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  we  cherish  his  memory  and  would  keep  his  mantle  with 
care.  This  is  a  sacred  spot,  this  is  a  memorable  hour,  the  scenes  of  past  years  are 
before  us,  the  dust  of  our  earth's  greatest  and  best  of  men  is  near  us;  around  us  is 
a  vast  multitude  whose  hearts  are  touched — O  God,  let  the  mantle  of  our  departed 
hero  fall  upon  us;  let  the  blessing  of  God,  in  whose  presence  we  believe  the  spirit 
of  our  martyred  President  is  to-day,  be  our  heritage.  Bless  those  who  constitute 
The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  and  at  whose  call  we  meet  to-day.  May  they,  like 
him  whom  they  honor,  be  true  to  themselves,  true  to  their  country,  and  true  to 
God.  Bless  this  vast  assemblage  of  persons,  bless  the  exercises  of  this  hour,  keep 
us  all  by  Thy  power  and  bring  us  at  last  to  reign  with  Thee  forever. 

The  choir  composed  of  Mrs.  Harry  Thayer,  Mrs.  Samuel 
Grubb,  Mrs.  Joseph  Grout,  Mrs.  Fred.  Smith,  Miss  Holcomb, 
Miss  Lizzie  Hopping,  Miss  Ella  Smith,  Miss  Lou  Hibbs,  Miss 
Lucy  Young,  Messrs.  Charles  Schick,  A.  Higgins,  M.  F.  Sim- 
mons, Prof.  Smith,  Charles  S.  Crowell,  Harry  Snape,  John 
Ruckel,  Thomas  Bryce  and  Charles  Eobbins,  all  under  the 
direction  of  Prof.  Louis  Lehmann,  sang  that  grand  patriotic 
emanation  from  the  Supreme  Ruler,  through  the  heart  and 
brain  of  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe. 

THE  BATTLE  HYMN  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord ; 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath  are  stored ; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  His  terrible  swift  sword ; 
His  truth  is  marching  on. 

I  have  seen  Him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred  circling  camps ; 
They  have  builded  Him  an  altar  in  the  evening  dews  and  damps ; 
I  can  read  His  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and  flaring  lamps ; 
His  day  is  marching  on. 

I  have  read  a  fiery  gospel,  writ  in  burnished  rows  of  steel ; 
"As  ye  deal  with  my  contemners,  so  with  you  my  graae  shall  deal ;" 
Let  the  hero,  born  of  woman,  crush  the  serpent  with  his  heel, 
Since  God  is  marching  on. 

He  has  sounded  forth  his  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judgment  seat; 
Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul  to  answer  him !  be  jubilant  my  feet! 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 

In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea, 
Wiibh  a  glory  in  his  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me ; 
As  he  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  187 

Ex-Governor,  and  Major-Gen.  John  M.  Palmer,  was  intro- 
duced and  delivered  the  following: 

GOV.  PALMER'S  ADDRESS. 

I  don't  know  how  to  commence  an  address  on  an  occasion  like  this.  The  name 
•and  the  fame  of  the  man  in  whose  memory  this  monument  has  been  erected,  needs 
nothing  from  me.  I  can  say  nothing  to  my  fellow-citizens  of  this  city  who  knew 
him  so  well,  long  before  he  became  eminent,  that  would  add  anything  to  their 
knowledge  of  him.  Nineteen  years  ago  this  morning — and  it  looks  to  me  like  but 
an  hour — I  was  in  command  of  the  department  of  Kentucky.  The  war  had  just 
closed,  and  I  thought  that  peace  was  re-established.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, a  man  rapped  at  my  door,  I  was  living  in  a  city  that  was  nominally  loyal  to 
the  Union.  It  did  contain  thousands  of  loyal  men  and  women,  but  I  had  under  my 
command  a  number  of  thousands  of  troops  to  preserve  order  in  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky, at  that  time.  I  hardly  knew  who,  I  hoped  and  believed  that  some,  were  my 
friends,  but  I  knew  that  some  also  were  my  enemies,  or  at  least  the  enemies  of  my 
country,  which  at  that  time  was  the  same  thing.  I  slept  in  a  room  that  no  man 
could  approach  except  through  a  narrow  hall.  On  my  table  there  lay  a  revolver. 
I  did  not  know  when  I  might  be  called  upon  to  use  it  in  my  own  defense.  I  heard 
a  rap  at  my  door.  I  sprang  up.  I  took  the  pistol  from  my  table  and  said,  "who 
is  there?"  Some  one  replied,  "I  have  a  message  for  you  through  the  military  tele- 
graph." "What  is  it,"  hand  it  to  me,  reaching  out,  however,'  for  the  dispatch  with 
•one  hand  and  holding  the  cocked  pistol  with  the  other.  It  read,  "Last  night  at 
Ford's  Theatre  the  President  was  assassinated  and  the  Secretary  of  State  was  also 
assassinated  at  his  own  house."  I  read  it,  gazed  at  it  a  moment,  couldn't  believe 
it.  Assassination  had  never  been  one  of  the  crimes  of  the  American  people,  or  of 
•our  race.  If  we  sought  men's  lives  we  sought  them  openly  and  manfully.  That 
was  the  sort  of  life  for  life  that  Americans  believed  in,  assassination  not  an  Ameri- 
•can  vice  or  an  American  crime. 

But  assassination  of  the  President — the  most  blameless,  the  most  generous,  the 
most  forgiving  of  all  the  statesmen  of  the  country,  a  man  born  south  of  the  Ohio 
river,  who  loved  his  native  State  as  few  men  can  understand — a  man  who,  after  the 
Avar,  would  be  the  friend  of  every  man  who  submitted  to  the  authority  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, a  man  who  had  no  resentments  and  no  hates,  but  who  simply  wished  to 
«ave  the  Union  for  the  sake  of  the  people  of  the  Union.  That  he,  above  all  other 
men,  sbould  have  been  the  victim  of  assassination,  I  could  not  understand.  If 
Stanton  had  been  assassinated,  it  would  not  have  seemed  so  marvelous,  for  Stanton 
was  the  representative  of  the  power,  the  force,  and  the  vengeance  of  the  country — 
a  man  who  waged  war  because  he  believed  war  to  be  the  only  means  by  which  the 
authority  of  the  Government  could  be  restored.  But  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  generosity,  the  forgiveness,  the  nationality  of  the  American 
people,  and  that  he  should  be  selected  as  the  victim  of  assassination  seemed  to  me 
to  be  one  of  those  unheard-of  things  that  no  man  can  account  for.  There  I  read 
it.  It  came  from  official  sources,  and  I  started.  I  went  about  three  or  four  hun- 
dred yards  to  where  I  had  soldiers  in  camp,  put  them  under  arms,  and  ordered  the 
artillery  horses  harnessed  and  the  guns  limbered  up.  I  took  a  couple  of  soldiers 
with  me  and  went  about  two  miles  to  a  couple  of  barracks  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Louisville,  where  I  had  other  soldiers,  and  ordered  them  also  under  arms.  I  tele- 
graphed to  all  parts  of  the  State;  to  Bowling  Green,  Lexington,  Frankfort,  Camp 


188  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Nelson,  everywhere  where  we  had  troops,  for  I  believed  then  that  the  assassination- 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  part  of  a  great  scheme  among  the  disloyal,  North  and  South, 
to  involve  us  once  more  in  strife.  I  ordered  troops  under  arms  everywhere.  Af 
that  time  I  believed  the  whole  country  would  become  involved,  North  and  South, 
and  that  there  would  be  bloodshed  everywhere  all  over  the  State  of  Kentucky.  In 
two  hours,  therefore,  we  were  under  arms,  artillery  horses  were  harnessed,  and 
guns  and  men  in  position.  I  ordered  batteries  to  take  possession  of  Louisville, 
and  to  plant  themselves  where  they  could  sweep  the  streets,  if  necessary.  When 
this  was  done,  I  went  back  to  my  quarters,  and  when  I  got  there  I  found  three  or 
four  thousand  people  assembled,  for  the  headquarters  of  the  department  had  at- 
tracted everybody.  But,  when  I  got  there,  I  saw  also  in  the  crowd  the  leading 
rebels — those  who  opposed  the  Government.  Until  I  saw  their  faces,  I  was  at  a 
loss;  but  when  I  looked  around  upon  the  scene  before  me,  I  then  began  to  realize 
that  there  was  no  insurrection,  nor  anything  of  the  sort  in  contemplation.  The 
act  of  violence  which  had  been  done  was  but  the  act  of  a  single  assassin,  who- 
represented  nobody  and  nothing  but  the  father  of  all  evil,  the  devil.  I  then  under- 
stood that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  fallen  a  victim  to  no  uprising.  There,  in  front  of  my 
headquarters,  where  the  flag  still  floated,  stood  thousands,  I  cannot  undertake  to- 
say  how  many,  men,  women  and  children,  white  and  black;  they  pressed  themselves 
upon  me,  and  the  leading  rebels  said,  "  What  shall  we  do  ?  This  man  upon  whom 
we  had  depened  to  protect  us,  after  the  war  was  over,  has  fallen;  what  shall  we  do? 
Johnson  will  be  President,  a  Tennessean,  full  of  vengeance."  They  all  dreaded 
him,  but  had  such  implicit  confidence  in  the  charity,  purity  and  forgiveness  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  that  they  had  relied  on  him  for  protection  after  the  strife  was  done.  They 
thronged  into  my  quarters — I  have  no  power  to  describe  the  scene,  it  would  be 
folly  to  attempt  it.  And  they  said  to  me:  "  Will  you  now,  can  you,  after  thi& 
man  has  been  assassinated,  can  you  save  us  from  your  soldiers?  Will  they  not  in- 
sist that  all  of  us  who  have  been  involved  in  the  rebellion  are  responsible,  and  so 
devastate  and  burn  the  city  ?"  "No,"  I  said,  "you  are  my  countrymen,"  for  by 
that  time  I  discovered  that  nobody  was  responsible.  But  throughout  that  whole 
day  in  Louisville  there  was  more  than  a  Sabbath  stillness.  Men  and  women  every- 
where were  mourning  the  loss  of  Lincoln  as  if  they  had  lost  their  dearest  friend; 
mothers  and  wives,  as  if  they  had  lost  sons  and  husbands;  fathers,  as  if  they  had 
lost  their  sole  support.  Nay,  it  was  deeper  than  a  Sabbath  stillness,  it  was  the 
stillness  of  a  universal  sorrow.  Everybody,  Union  men  and  Union  women  and 
rebels,  all  together,  mourned  for  one  they  felt  was  their  best  and  most  generous 
friend.  In  a  little  while  after  that,  my  police  began  to  bring  in  persons  charged 
with  saying  that  they  thanked  God  Lincoln  was  killed;  and  I  remember  one  that 
they  brought  in  was  a  woman  whom  I  knew,  and  they  told  me  she  had  said  she 
was  glad  that  Lincoln  was  killed,  and  the  woman  came  before  me  in  a  spirit  as  if 
ready  to  fight  it  out.  I  simply  said  to  her:  "  My  dear  madam,  you  have  said 
something  so  much  more  wicked  than  I  can  imagine  any  woman  could  say,  that 
you  may  go  home — if  you  can  bear  it,  I  can."  She  bui-st  into  tears  and  she  said: 
"I  did  say  it,  but  God  knows  if  I  could  give  my  own  life  to  bring  this  man  back  to 
this  country,  I  would  do  it." 

Nineteen  years  ago  to-day  all  this  transpired.  Think  of  it.  On  that  day  I  issued 
an  order,  not  altogether  inspired  by  my  confidence,  but  in  a  great  measure  dictated 
by  my  hopes.  I  issued  a  general  order,  to  be  circulated  throughout  the  State,  say- 
ing, notwithstanding  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  great  as  he  was,  no  man  is  so 
great  that  his  death  can  disturb  the  progress  of  this  country  toward  peace,  pros- 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  189 

-perity  and  fraternal  union.  I  said  to  the  people:  "  Go  back  to  your  employments, 
mourn  over  the  loss  of  this  great  man,  but  remember  that  even  death  cannot  check 
the  tide  of  union  and  progress  in  this  grand  country  of  ours."  And,  my  friends, 
standing  here  to-day,  nineteen  years  after  that  sad  event,  reflect  what  this  country 
is,  and  think  also,  while  we  can  raise  monuments  that  perish,  and  can  cherish  fitly 
the  memoiy  of  this  great  and  noble  man,  yet  no  single  man  is  essential  to  the 
prosperity  of  this  country.  We  build  monuments  and  cherish  the  names  of  those 
who  have  done  great  service  for  the  Republic,  but  time  moves  on,  time  builds  up 
and  time  destroys.  This  monument,  built  here  to  the  memory  of  this  great  man, 
whom  we  knew  in  his  lifetime  and  revered  so  much,  will  crumble  away,  but  we 
jnay  believe  that  the  Nation,  for  which  he  gave  his  life  and  to  which  he  consecrated 
his  best  service,  for  which  he  was  raised  up  as  the  Almighty  raised  up  Moses  for 
the  deliverance  of  His  favored  people,  though  these  stones  perish,  this  Nation,  with 
its  intelligent,  noble  people,  will  live  on  after  all  such  monuments  are  gone  forever. 
The  lesson  of  to-day,  then,  is  this:  As  that  man  dedicated  himself  to  his  country, 
as  that  man  died  for  his  country,  so  should  each  one  here.  While  nineteen  years 
seem  nothing  to  youth,  it  changes  the  vigorous,  athletic  soldier  into  the  grey- 
haired  old  man.  Time  is  doing  its  work.  The  lesson  of  to-day  is  that  each  one 
of  you,  men  and  women,  forgetting  the  prejudices  and  passions  that  have  controlled 
the  past,  shall  this  day  dedicate  your  best  thoughts,  your  most  earnest  purposes, 
to  the  welfare  of  your  country.  Think  of  your  responsibilities !  This  is  the 
only  country  in  the  world  that  we  know  anything  about,  the  government  of  which 
is  devolved  upon  each  man  and  woman  within  its  territory,  and  the  responsibilities 
of  every  man  and  woman  in  the  land  are  exactly  alike,  black  and  white.  With 
these  magnificent  interests  and  this  great  destiny,  the  lesson  of  the  day  is  that, 
as  Lincoln,  and  not  only  as  Lincoln,  but  as  the  thousands  of  soldiers  who  took  part 
in  the  struggle  which  preceded  his  death — for  on  the  night  before  his  death  the 
bells  were  ringing  all  over  the  land  because  the  flag  had  been  restored  to  Sumter, 
the  authority  of  the  Government  re-established — as  on  that  night  he  died  for  his 
country,  so  ought  you,  each  one,  feel  bound  to  dedicate  yourself  to-day  to  its  ser- 
vice— not  to  the  service  of  party,  not  to  the  service  of  mere  personal  interest, 
not  to  the  service  of  prejudice,  but  unremittingly,  each  man  and  woman,  this  day, 
in  this  presence,  with  these  memories  around  you,  dedicate  yourselves  anew  to 
this  country,  whose  government  Divine  Providence  has  deposited  in  your  hands. 
Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  said  all  I  can.  The  memories  of  the  past  crowd 
upon  me.  Nineteen  years  are  gone.  The  country  is  making  its  history,  and  you 
and  I — you  and  not  I,  for  my  work  is  substantially  done — you,  and  not  I,  are  re- 
sponsible to  God  and  your  country  for  the  future. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  death  of  Lincoln  should  have 
stirred  the  poetic  spirit  in  heart  and  brain,  wherever  it  slum- 
bered in  our  broad  land,  whether  in  palace  or  hovel;  but  of 
all  places  a  mining  camp  would  seem  to  have  been  the  most 
unpropitious  for  the  muse.  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  was  one 
of  the  wildest  and  wickedest  of  those  camps.  May  4,  1865, 
while  the  heart  of  the  nation  was  drawn  towards  Oak  Ridge 
Cemetery  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  the  true  and  tried  from  | 
all  parts  of  the  country  were  assembled  around  the  receiving 


190  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

tomb,  trying  if  possible  to  hear  the  words  of  the  distinguished 
divine,  Bishop  Simpson  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  who  was  deliver- 
ing the  funeral  oration,  the  miners  in  that  far  away  camp 
were  holding  a  funeral  service  also.  A  young  man  wrote  and 
read  a  poem  on  that  occasion.  He  was  the  editor  of  the 
Territorial  Enterprise.  The  reading  of  it  created  intense 
enthusiasm  in  camp,  and  the  author,  T.  J.  Goodman,  pub- 
lished it  in  his  paper.  That  for  a  long  time  seems  to  have 
been  the  last  of  it,  probably  because  it  was  overshadowed  by 
so  much  other  matter  on  the  same  subject.  One  young  man 
in  camp  at  the  time,  was  so  impressed  with  the  poem  that 
he  memorized  it.  Eighteen  years  after,  in  the  summer  of 
1883,  that  young  man,  Mr.  Alfred  H.  Nelson,  a  lawyer,  be- 
came the  host  of  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard,  at  his  residence  in 
Ogden,  Utah,  while  she  was  on  a  tour  as  a  temperance 
evangelist,  to  the  Pacific  States.  Mr.  Nelson  incidentally 
recited  part  of  a  poem  about  Lincoln  in  her  presence.  She 
expressed  her  admiration  for  it  and  requested  a  copy.  Mr. 
Nelson  had  retained  it  all  those  years  in  his  memory  only, 
and  could  not  at  once  comply  with  her  request,  but  after  she 
had  gone,  he  made  a  copy  and  sent  it  to  her  at  Evanston, 
Illinois.  Miss  Willard  sent  it  to  Mrs.  George  Clinton  Smith, 
of  this  city,  with  instructions  to  have  it  published  in  the 
Springfield  papers,  with  its  history,  and  to  deposit  the  origi- 
nal copy  in  the  archives  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument. 
Mrs.  Smith  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  writer  of  this  sketch, 
who  prepared  a  copy,  and  it  was  first  published  in  the  Illinois 
State  Journal,  Sept.  26,  1883.  Miss  Willard's  criticism  of  the 
poem  is  that,  "Barring  a  few  limping  poetic  feet,  easily  cured, 
it  is,  in  conception,  imagery,  and  bold,  lofty  flight,  worthy  to 
live  beside  the  best  that  has  been  written  about  our  Illinois 
and  the  world's  brotherly  hero." 

Prolonged  efforts  were  made  to  get  a  printed  copy  into  the 
hands  of  the  author,  in  order  to  obtain  his  corrections  and 
the  stamp  of  his  approval,  but  failed.  He  was  then  in  San 
Francisco.  Miss  Willard  made  some  corrections,  but  not  as 
much  as  she  would  have  done  with  more  time.  It  is  hoped 
that  it  will  not  again  come  so  near  being  lost. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  191 

Miss  Annetta  Howard,  of  Springfield,  was  introduced  and 
read,  impressively  and  artistically,  the  poein  on 

THE  DEATH  OF  LINCOLN. 
BY  T.  J.  GOODMAN. 

A  nation  lay  at  rest.     The  mighty  storm 

That  threatened  their  good  ship  with  direful  harm 

Had  spent  its  fury  ;  and  the  tired  and  worn 

Sank  in  sweet  slumber,  as  the  Spring  time  morn 

Dawned  with  a  promise  that  the  strife  should  cease ; 

And  war's  grim  face  smiled  in  a  dream  of  peace. 

O  !  doubly  sweet  the  sleep  when  tranquil  light 
Breaks  on  the  dangers  of  the  fearful  night, 
And,  full  of  trust,  we  seek  the  dreamy  realm, 
Conscious  a  faithful  pilot  holds  the  helm, 
Whose  steady  purpose  and  untiring  hand, 
With  God's  good  grace,  will  bring  us  safe  to  land. 
And  so  the  Nation  rested,  worn  and  weak 
From  long  exertion: — 

0  God !    What  a  shriek 

Was  that  which  pierced  to  farthest  earth  and  sky, 
As  though  all  Nature  uttered  a  death  cry  ! 
Awake  !  Arouse  !  ye  sleeping  warders,  ho ! 
Be  sure  this  augurs  some  colossal  woe  ; 
Some  dire  calamity  has  passed  o'erhead— 
A  world  is  shattered  or  a  god  is  dead  ! 

What,  all  the  globe  unchanged  !    The  sky  still  flecked 
With  stars?    Time  is?    The  universe  not  wrecked? 
Then  look  ye  to  the  pillars  of  the  State  ! 
How  fares  it  with  the  Nation's  good  and  great? 
Since  that  wild  shriek  told  no  unnatural  birth. 
Some  mighty  Soul  has  shaken  hands  with  earth. 

Lo  !  murder  hath  been  done.    Its  purpose  foul 
Hath  stained  the  marble  of  the  Capitol 
Where  sat  one  yesterday  without  a  peer ; 
Still  rests  he  peerless — but  upon  his  bier, 
Ah,  faithful  heart,  so  silent  now — alack  ! 
And  did  the  Nation  fondly  call  thee  back, 
And  hail  thee  truest,  bravest  of  the  land, 
To  bare  thy  breast  to  the  assassin's  hand? 

And  yet  we  know  if  that  extinguished  voice 
Could  be  rekindled  and  pronounce  its  choice 
Between  this  awful  fate  of  thine,  and  one — 
Retreat  from  what  thou  didst  or  wouldst  have  done 
In  thine  own  sense  of  duty,  it  would  choose 
This  loss — the  least  a  noble  soul  cculd  lose. 


192  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

There  is  a  time  when  the  assassin's  knife 
Kills  not,  but  stabs  into  eternal  life  ; 
And  this  was  such  an  one.    Thy  homely  name 
Was  wed  to  that  of  Freedom,  and  thy  fame 
Hung  rich  and  clustering  in  its  lusty  prime ; 
The  God  of  Heroes  saw  the  harvest  time, 
And  smote  the  noble  structure  at  the  root, 
That  it  might  bear  no  less  immortal  fruit. 

Sleep  !  honored  by  the  Nation  and  mankind  ! 
Thy  name  in  History's  brightest  page  is  shrined, 
Adorned  by  virtues  only,  shall  exist 
Bright  and  adored  on  Freedom's  martyr  list* 

The  time  will  come  when  on  the  Alps  shall  dwell 
No  memory  of  their  own  immortal  Tell ; 
Rome  shall  forget  her  Caesars,  and  decay 
Waste  the  Eternal  City's  life  away ; 
And  in  the  lapse  of  countless  ages,  Fame 
Shall  one  by  one  forget  each  cherished  name : 
But  thine  shall  live  through  time,  until  there  be 
No  soul  on  earth  but  glories  to  be  free. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Power,  secretary  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
then  read  a  speech  delivered  by  President  Lincoln  under 
rather  peculiar  circumstances.  The  causes  which  lead  to  the 
brief  though  pointed  address  are  as  follows: 

On  Thui-sday,  December  1,  1864,  two  ladies  from  Tennessee 
appeared  before  President  Lincoln,  asking  the  release  of  their 
husbands  who  were  held  as  prisoners  of  war,  on  Johnson's 
Island.  They  were  put  off  until  Friday  and  again  until  Sat- 
urday, when  the  President  ordered  the  men  released.  At  each 
of  the  interviews,  one  of  the  ladies  was  very  urgent  in  pre- 
senting her  case,  telling  Mr.  Lincoln  with  all  the  impressive- 
ness  she  could  command,  that  her  husband  was  a  "religious 
man."  After  the  prisoners  were  released,  Mr.  Lincoln  de- 
livered what  he  afterwards  said  was  the  shortest  and  best 
speech  he  ever  made,  and  shows  that  his  ability  to  puncture 
shams  was  never  excelled.  Addressing  the  lady  he  said: 

MADAM: — You  say  your  husband  is  a  religious  man.  tell  him  when  you  meet 
him,  that  I  say  I  am  not  much  of  a  judge  of  religion,  but  that,  in  my  opinion,  the 
religion  that  sets  men  to  rebel  and  fight  against  their  Government,  because,  as 
they  think,  that  Government  does  not  sufficiently  help  some  men  to  eat  their  bread 
in  the  sweat  of  other  men's  faces,  is  not  the  sort  of  religion  upon  which  people 
can  get  to  Heaven. 

Mrs.  Lelia  P.  Roby  of  Chicago,  on  being  introduced,  read 
by  proxy, — the  proxy  being  her  husband,  Hon.  Edward  Roby 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  193 

— a  poem  on  the  life  and  death  of  Lincoln,  written  for  the 
occasion  by  the  author  of  our  National  hyrnn  ''America,"  by 
the  venerable  and  Rev.  Samuel  Francis  Smith,  D.  D.,  of  Newton 
•Centre,  Massachusetts. 

Grandeur  and  glory  wait  around  the  bed. 
Where  sleeps  in  lowly  peace  the  illustrious  dead ; 
He  rose  a  meteor,  upon  wondering  men, 
But  rose  in  strength,  never  to  set  again. 
A  king  of  men,  though  born  in  lowly  state, 
A  man  sincerely  good  and  nobly  great ; 
Tender,  but-firm  ;  faithful  and  kind,  and  true, 
The  Nation's  choice,  the  Nation's  Savior,  too  ; 
Schooled  through  life's  early  hardships  to  endure, 
To  raise  the  oppressed,  to  save  and  shield  the  poor ; 
Prudent  in  counsel,  honest  in  debate, 
Patient  to  hear  and  judge,  patient  to  wait ; 
The  calm,  the  wise,  the  witty  and  the  proved, 
Whom  millions  honored,  and  whom  millions  loved ; 
Swayed  by  no  baleful  lust  of  pride  or  power. 
The  shining  pageants  of  the  passing  hour, 
Led  by  no  scheming  arts,  no  selfish  aim, 
Ambitious  for  no  pomp,  nor  wealth,  nor  fame, 
No  planning  hypocrite,  no  pliant  tool, 
A  high-born  patriot,  of  Heaven's  noblest  school ; 
Cool  and  unshaken  in  the  maddest  storm, 
For  in  the  clouds  he  traced  the  Almighty's  form ; 
Worn  with  the  weaty  heart  and  aching  head, 
Worse  than  the  picket,  with  his  ceaseless  tread, 
He  kept— as  bound  by  some  resistless  fate — 
His  broad,  strong  hand  upon  the  helm  of  State ; 
Nor  turned,  in  fear,  his  heart  or  hope  away, 
Till  on  the  field  his  tent  a  ruin  lay. 
The  tent,  a  ruin  ;  but  the  owner's  name 
Stands  on  the  pinnacle  of  human  fame, 
Inscribed  in  lines  of  light,  and  nations  see, 
Through  him,  the  people's  life  and  liberty. 

What  high  ideas,  what  noble  acts  he  taught! 
To  make  men  free  in  life,  and  limb,  and  thought, 
To  rise,  to  soar,  to  scorn  the  oppressor's  rod, 
To  live  in  grander  life,  to  live  for  God  ; 
To  stand  for  justice,  freedom  and  the  right, 
To  dare  the  conflict,  strong  in  God's  own  might ; 
The  methods  taught  by  Him,  by  him  were  tried, 
And  he  to  conscience  true  a  martyr  died. 

As  the  great  sun  pursues  his  heavenly  way, 
And  fills  with  light  and  joy  the  livelong  day, 
Till,  the  full  journey,  in  glory  dressed, 
He  seeks  his  crimson  couch  beneath  the  west ; 


194  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

So,  with  his  labor  done,  our  hero  sleeps  ; 
Above  his  tomb  a  ransomed  Nation  weeps ; 
And  grateful  peans  o'er  his  ashes  rise — 
Dear  is  his  fame — his  glory  never  dies. 

Bring  flowers,  fresh  flowers ;  bring  plumes  with  nodding  crests,. 

To  wreath  the  tomb  where  our  great  hero  rests ; 

Bring  pipe  and  tabret,  eloquence  and  song, 

And  sound  the  loving  tribute,  loud  and  long ; 

A  Nation  bows,  and  mourns  his  honored  name, 

A  Nation  proudly  keeps  his  deathless  fame  ; 

Let  vale  and  rock,  and  hill,  and  land,  and  sea, 

His  memory  swell — the  anthem  of  the  free. 

The  choir  then  sang  that  old,  but  ever  new,  hymn  by  the- 

same  author. 

\ 

AMERICA. 
By  Eev.  S.  F.  Smith,  D.  D. 

My  country  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 

Of  thee  we  sing  ; 
Land  where  my  fathers  died ; 
Land  of  the  pilgrim's  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring. 

My  native  country,  thee, 
Land  of  the  noble  free, 

Thy  name  I  love. 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills, 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills, 

Like  that  above. 

Let  music  swell  the  breeze, 
And  ring  from  all  the  trees 

Sweet  freedom's  song 
Let  mortal  tongues  awake, 
Let  all  that  breathe  partake, 
Let  rocks  their  silence  break, 

The  sound  prolong. 

Our  fathers  God — to  Thee, 
Author  of  Liberty, 
•  To  Thee  we  sing ; 

Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  freedom's  holy  light — 
Protect  us  by  thy  might, 
Great  God  our  king, 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  1951 

Men  who  knew  Lincoln  well,  when  they  come  to  deliver  a 
public  address  about  him  find  in  it  a  great  temptation  to  be 
garrulous.  Here  is  a  man  who  knew  Lincoln  almost  as  in- 
timately as  though  they  had  been  brothers.  He  could  talk 
a  month  about  him  from  personal  knowledge  and  not  re- 
peat himself,  and  yet  he  gives  us  here  in  the  smallest  space, 
a  true  and  complete  delineation  of  the  character  of  his  hero. 
It  is  a  perfect  gem,  both  in  eloquence  and  brevity. 

Address  by  Judge  James  II.  Matheny,  of  Springfield. 

It  is  a  grand  thing  to  have  ever  lived.  It  is  still  a  grander  thing  to  have  so  lived, 
that  our  names  grow  brighter  and  brighter  and  our  memory  more  fondly  cher- 
ished, as  the  years  roll  on  apace  and  number  themselves  with  the  shadowy  past. 
Of  all  the  countless  millions,  who  have  lived,  moved  and  acted  their  parts  in  the 
wonderous  drama  of  human  life,  how  veiy  few  have  inscribed  their  names,  in  im- 
perishable characters  upon  the  record  of  time, — many  thousands  blazed  out  for  a 
brief  moment,  as  stars  of  the  first  magnitude,  in  the  constellation  of  earthly  great- 
ness but  soon  faded  away  into  their  original  nothingness. 

Call  the  roll  of  the  truly  great,  those  who  left  the  world  better  than  they  found 
it,  and  the  responses  will  be  "few  and  far  between."  Upon  that  roll,  no  grander 
name  can  be  found,  than  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  is  one  of  the 

"Few  immortal  names,  that  were  not  born  to  die." 

He  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  the  measure  of  human  greatness.  He  rose  with 
every  occasion,  however  trying,  and  was  more  than  equal  to  every  emergency.  In 
the  midst  of  the  awful  storm  that  darkened  around  him,  he  developed  characteris- 
tics wholly  unexpected,  until  even  life-long  friends  gazed  upon  him  in  utter  be- 
wilderment and  his  bitterest  foe  bowed  before  an  inexplicable  mystery. 

The  most  remarkable  of  the  many  admirable  characteristics  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  his  wonderful  calmness  in  every  emergency.  When  the  storm  of  war  was 
upon  us  in  all  its  maddened  fury,  others  of  our  great  men  yielded  to  the  passions 
incident  to  human  nature  and  stained  the  bright  escutcheon  of  our  National  glory 
with  acts,  over  which  we  had  better  throw  the  broad  mantle  of  forgetfulness.  Not 
so  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  amid  it  all  he  stood  calm  and  unmoved,  however  wild 
the  storm,  however  black  the  cloud,  however  rayless  the  night,  with  a  firmness 
born  of  an  unyielding  patriotism,  an  unwavering  faith  in  the  triumph  of  the  right, 
with  a  courage,  God-like  in  its  grandeur,  he  braved  the  storm,  he  rose  above  the 
cloud.  He  saw  the  stars  still  shining  beyond  the  night,  and  although  clothed  with 
almost  limitless  power  was  still  the  calm,  unpassioued  Patriot,  never  forgetting  for 
a  moment,  the  one  great  purpose  of  his  soul,  the  salvation  and  perpetuity  of  the 
National  Union,  upon  the  broad  basis  of  universal  liberty.  To  the  realization  of 
this  one  great  hope,  every  other  impulse  was  made  subservient.  On  he  moved  to 
the  fulfillment  of  this  great  end,  undetered  by  assailing  foes,  undisturbed  by  the 
clamor  of  complaining  friends.  Search  all  history  and  you  will  scarcely  find  a 
parallel  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  Never  once,  through  all  the  trying  scenes  of  many 
years  of  civil  war,  was  he  guilty  of  a  single  act  of  inhumanity  or  oppression.  He 
seemed  to  move  in  a  plane  far  above  the  frailties  of  common  humanity.  When 
the  fearful  conflict  was  nearing  its  close — when  the  cloud  was  breaking  awav — 


196  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD   OF  HONOR.  ; 

•when  the  dawning  of  morn  was  scattering  the  shadows  of  night,  he  stood  in  front 
of  the  National  Capitol,  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  people,  and  with  words 
characteristic  of  him  who  said  :  "Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do,"  he  closed  the  awful  drama  of  war  with  the  Godlike  sentiment  of  "malice 
toward  none  but  charity  for  all." 

Mr.  J.  H.  Rayhill,  Professor  of  Elocution  in  the  Young 
Ladies  Atheneum,  and  Illinois  College,  both  at  Jacksonville, 
was  next  introduced  and  read 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  REMAINS  AT   THE  CAPITOL. 

Gaze  and  pass  on  ! 

Ye  who  but  yesterday  shared  his  fond  greeting, 
Solemnly  gather  at  this  the  last  meeting. 
Look  once  more  on  the  care-furrowed  brow 
Stamped  by  the  seal  of  eternity  now  ! 

Gaze  and  pass  on  ! 

Life  is  not  there  ! 

Think  not  to  catch  the  old  echoes  of  cheer, 
List  not  the  step  ye  shall  never  more  hear, 
Seek  not  the  smile  from  the  lips  chill  and  wan, 
All  of  him  earthly  is  faded  and  gone. 

Life  is  not  there  ! 

All  is  not  dead  ! 

Still  in  your  midst  the  best  lingers  to-day, 
Of  the  loved  and  departed  untouched  by  decay, 
The  virtues  he  cherished  yet  live,  and  will  last  . 
When  the  scenes  of  the  present  are  lost  in  the  past. 

All  is  not  dead  ! 

Undaunted  he  fell ! 

Not  in  the  winter  of  age,  bending  low, 
"Wasted  and  worn  in  the  summer's  warm  glow ; 
Strong  in  his  manhood,  hope  gilding  his  sky, 
In  the  pathway  of  duty  he  sank  down  to  die. 

Undaunted  he  fell ! 

Chant  the  sad  dirge  ! 
Ere  he  goes  forth  to  his  earthly  rest, 
Sing  'round  his  coffin  the  songs  of  the  blest ; 
'Mid  silence  and  sadness  the  sweet  strains  will  rise 
.Like  flowers  bearing  incense  to  him  in  the  skies. 

Chant  the  sad  dirge  ! 

Pause  now  and  weep  ! 
Weep  for  the  President  lost  to  our  sight ; 
Nobly  he  toiled  for  us — gave  of  his  might, 
Ye  may  search  for  his  like  as  long  as  years  circle  round, 
But  a  loftier  spirit  will  never  be  found. 

Pause  now  and  weep  ' 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  197 

Bear  him  away ! 

A  Fatherly  Ruler  is  laid  on  the  bier ; 
Slowly,  for  thought  groweth  weary  and  drear, 
Sadly,  with  measured  funeral  tread, 
Soldiers  and  citizens,  on  with  the  dead. 

Bear  him  away  ! 

Christian,  farewell ! 
As  ready  for  death,  as  true  in  thy  life, 
No  danger  appalled  in  fratricidal  strife  ; 
With  tears  we  commit  the  dear  form  to  the  sod, 
The  dust  to  the  earth,  the  spirit  to  God. 

Christian,  farewell ! 

The  choir  then  sang  the  following  ode,  by  Edwin  A.  Sher- 
man, of  Oakland,  California.  It  is  being  sung  at  the  nineteenth 
anniversary  services,  to-day,  in  Oakland  and  San  Francisco, 
along  the  valleys  of  the  Sacramento  and  Columbia  Rivers,  in 
Melbourne,  Australia,  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  other  places. 

i. 

Martyr  Spirit,  from  the  skies, 
Hear  our  requiem  arise, 
Listen  to  our  sorrow-song, 
While  we  mourn  thy  awful  wrong ; 
Thou  "the  noblest  work  of  God," 
Pouring  out  thy  precious  blood 
On  the  altar  of  thy  love, 
While  thy  spirit  soared  above. 

ii. 

Lincoln,  Savior  of  our  Land, 
Guiding  by  thy  faithful  hand, 
Thou  didst  lead  us  safely  through 
Crimson  seas  of  blood  and  woe ; 
Broke  the  chains  of  slavery, 
Gave  the  bondman  liberty, 
Made  the  Union  strong  and  great, 
Bringing  back  each  erring  State. 

in. 

When  the  song  of  victory 
Tor  the  Union  and  "Glory," 
Rose  from  mountain,  hill  and  plain, 
Murder  laid  thee  'mong  the  slain. 
Hushed  were  then  triumphant  cheers, 
Hearts  did  bleed  while  flowed  our  tears. 
Cries  of  "Vengeance  !  oh  our  God  !" 
Fiercely  rose  from  Freedom's  sod. 


198  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

IV. 

"Vengeance  mine  !  I  will  repay !" 
"Keep  thou  this  Atonement  Day  !" 

Yea!  we'll  keep  it  while  the  sun 

Year  to  year  his  course  doth  run ; 

"While  our  heroes  bear  their  scars ; 

Floats  our  Stripes  and  gleams  our  Stars, 

In  our  Martyred  Chieftain's  Name 

We'll  renew  our  altar-flame. 

Rev.  A.  H.  Ball,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Spring- 
field, closed  the  services  with  the  benediction: 

May  the  Lord  grant  His  blessings  on  these  tributes  of  respect  that  we  bring  to 
that  just  and  true  man — His  gift  to  earth.  And  may  we  be  dismissed  now  to  our 
homes,  with  an  added  love  for  our  country  and  for  humanity,  in  the  name  of  Christ. 
Amen. 

Gen.  Joseph  Stockton,  on  behalf  the  Lincoln  Park  Commis- 
sioners, of  Chicago,  presented  the  beautiful  basket  and  floral 
cornucopias.  It  was  designed  by  Mr.  .DeFrey,  the  gardener 
of  Lincoln  Park.  The  South  Park,  Chicago,  through  John 
R.  Walsh,  its  president,  presented  the  circle  of  flowers,  with 
star  in  the  center  containing  the  initial  letter  "L,"  together 
with  the  ferns  and  palms.  Mr.  Frederick  Kanst  was  the  de- 
signer of  this  floral  offering. 

It  being  the  desire  of  those  contributing  these  beautiful 
flowers  that  they  should  be  placed  around  the  statue  of  Lin- 
coln in  the  State  Capitol,  notice  was  accordingly  given 
through  the  papers  to  that  effect,  and  large  numbers  of  citi- 
zens visited  them  there  in  the  forenoon  of  Tuesday.  At  one 
o'clock  they  were  taken  to  the  Monument  and  placed  on  and 
around  the  sarcophagus,  where  they  will  remain  as  long  as 
they  retain  their  beauty. 

The  Lincold  Guard  of  Honor  take  this  method  of  express- 
ing their  thanks  to  all  who  contributed  to  this  memorial  ser- 
vice. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roby,  through  whose  devotion  to  the 
memory  of  our  Martyr-President  we  are  indebted  for  the  floral 
display,  we  despair  of  finding  words  to  express  the  obliga- 
tions we  feel. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  199 


DIVISION  TWELFTH. 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND   EIGHTY-FIVE. 


Sixth  Annual  Meeting  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  and  Election  of  Officers — 
Sixth  Memorial  Service,  in  which  the  Post  of  Honor  is  yielded  to  the  German 
Turners  and  German  Singing  Societies — Appeal  to  the  Citizens  of  Spring- 
field, and  their  Liberal  Response — Rain  interferes  with  the  Services. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

LELAND  HOTEL, 

OFFICE  OF  OUR  VICE-PRESIDENT,  GEN.  REECE, 
Thursday,  Feb.  12,  1885,  7:30  P.  M. 

SIXTH  ANNUAL  MEETING. 

V 

Present — Dana,  Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Chapin  and  Johnson. 

Absent — McNeill,  Wiggins  and  Qonkling. 

President  Dana  assumed  the  chair,  and  called  for  the  read- 
ing of  the  minutes. 

The  Secretary  read  the  minutes  of  the  last  annual  and  in- 
tervening meetings,  and  all  were  approved. 

Treasurer  made  annual  report,  which  was  approved  and 
ordered  to  be  spread  upon  the  record.  The  receipts  had  been 
fifteen  dollars  each  from  the  two  street  railroads.  That,  with 
the  small  balance  on  hand,  making  a  total  of  $33.75,  had 
been  sufficient  to  pay  all  expenses  and  leave  a  balance  of 
$5.05.  There  was  a  much  larger  expenditure  for  flowers  by 
citizens  of  Chicago,  but  that  did  not  come  into  our  accounts. 

The  election  of  officers  resulted  in  the  re-election  of  the 
old  board,  each  upon  separate  ballots: 

G.  S.  Dana,  President. 

J.  N.  Reece,  Vice-President. 

J.  C.  Power,  Secretary. 

J.  P.  Lindley,  Treasurer. 

Adjourned,  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  President. 


200  THE   LINCOLN   GUARD   OF   HONOR. 

OUR  SIXTH  LINCOLN   MEMORIAL   SERVICE. 

In  December,  1884,  correspondence  between  some  German- 
American  citizens  in  St.  Louis  and  in  Springfield  developed 
the  fact  that  the  Turners  and  German  singing  societies  of 
St.  Louis  were  desirous  of  holding  a  service  of  song  and  ora- 
tory at  the  Tomb  of  Lincoln  on  the  twentieth  anniversary 
of  his  death.  A  public  meeting  was  called  in  Springfield  for 
the  evening  of  December  16,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
if  the  people  generally  would  take  an  interest  in  the  matter. 

Gen.  J.  N.  Reece,  the  Vice-President  of  The  Lincoln  Guard 
of  Honor,  was  elected  chairman  of  that  meeting,  and  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  L.  G.  of  H.,  J.  C.  Power,  was  chosen  one  of  the 
secretaries,  with  Wm.  L.  Gardner  as  a  representative  of  the 
Turners  and  singing  societies.  The  members  of  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor,  by  common  consent,  agreed  to  forego,  for 
the  coming  anniversary,  their  own  distinctive  service,  and 
join  with  the  singing  societies  and  Turners  in  observing  Lin- 
coln Memorial  Day.  Gen.  Beece  was  continued  chairman  of 
the  Citizens'  Committee  of  Arrangements,  into  which  the  meet- 
ing resolved  itself  that  evening,  and  was  subsequently  elected 
president  of  the  day  for  the  Anniversary. 

Invitations  were  sent  out  from  St.  Louis  to  nearly  all  the 
German  singing  and /Turner  .societies  in  the  United  States, 
asking  them  to  meet  at  the  Tomb  of  Lincoln  on  the  fifteenth 
of  April,  being  the  Twentieth  Anniversary  of  his  Death,  there 
to  pay  their  respects  to  his  memory.  As  the  time  approached, 
the  indications  were  that  there  would  be  from  eight  hundred 
to  one  thousand  voices  join  in  the  singing,  and  that  the 
assemblage  would  number  many  thousands.  When  it  became 
evident  that  there  would  be  an  unusually  large  number  of 
visitors,  the  Citizens'  Committee  appointed  a  special  commit- 
tee of  four,  consisting  of  two  members  of  The  Lincoln  Guard 
of  Honor  and  two  other  citizens,  to  prepare  an  address  to 
the  people  of  Springfield,  urging  them  to  give  a  suitable  re- 
ception to  the  expected  visitors.  Following  is  the 

APPEAL  TO   THE  CITIZENS  OF  SPRINGFIELD. 

It  is  known  to  you  all  that  for  five  successive  returns  of  that  anniversary,  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  has,  with  but  little  outside  help,  except  at  the  last  one, 
when  they  received  valuable  assistance  from  citizens  of  Chicago,  inaugurated  and 
conducted  these  beautiful  services  with  increasing  interest  to  the  people  of  Spring- 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  201 

field  and  strangers  who  at  the  time  happened  to  sojourn  here.  This  year  they 
had  determined  to  make  the  services  more  simple  'and  less  expensive  than  ever 
before,  but  a  new  element  has  voluntarily  entered  into  it. 

It  is  a  part  of  undoubted  history  that,  when  armed  treason  assailed  our  Govern- 
ment in  April,  1861,  the  German- American  citizens  of  St.  Louis  were  found  to  be 
loyal  to  the  Government  under  whose  wing  they  had  sought  shelter  as  an  asylum 
for  the  oppressed  cf  all  lands.  And  while  the  great  mass  of  the  native  born  citi- 
zens, among  whom  they  lived,  were  plotting  with  its  enemies,  or  taking  up  arms 
for  its  destruction,  the  German  Turners  and  Singers  went  almost  en  masae  before 
the  proper  officers  and  were  sworn  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment as  Union  soldiers. 

This  patriotic  and  prompt  action  by  the  Germans  and  a  small  number  of  Ameri- 
cans, on  the  border  line  between  freedom  and  slavery,  rescued  a  large  quantity  of 
muskets  and  other  arms  stored  in  the  United  States  arsenal  in  St.  Louis,  by  load- 
ing them  on  steamboats  in  the  night  time  and  running  to  a  place  of  'Safety  on  the 
Illinois  side  of  the  river.  They  also  either  dispersed  or  captured  a  large  number 
of  insurgents  in  Camp  Jackson,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  thus  moving  the  line 
between  Secession  and  Union  farther  south,  and  early  in  the  war  saved  Missouri 
to  the  Union.  As  part  of  the  great  Union  army,  these  Germans  did  their  full 
share,  leaving  their  dead  comrades  on  almost  every  battle  field  in  the  south  and 
west.  At  the  end  of  four  years'  war,  with  all  opposing  forces  dispersed,  with 
slavery  abolished,  the  Union  of  the  States  restored,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
head  of  the  Government  slain  by  treason  in  its  dying  throes,  those  of  the  Germans- 
who  survived  the  struggle,  returned  battle-scarred  and  otherwise  injured  in  health, 
and  with  mingled  feelings  of  gladness  and  sorrow  -  gladness  that  there  was  no- 
longer  an  armed  foe,  and  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  their  great  leader — resumed  their 
former  peaceful  avocations  and  industrial  pursuits. 

After  a  score  of  years  engaged  in  restoring  the  waste  of  war,  in  adding  com- 
forts to,  and  beautifying  their  homes,  and  seeing  the  coffers  of  the  nation  they 
love,  changed  from  a  condition  of  total  collapse  at  the  beginning  to  one  that  may 
be  likened  to  that  of  the  husbandman  who  is  under  the  necessity  of  tearing  down 
his  barns  and  building  greater,  because  we  have  the  best  and  most  abundant  cur- 
rency of  any  nation  on  the  globe;  the  survivors  among  these  same  German 
Turners  and  Singers  of  St.  Louis,  consult  among  themselves  and  determine  that, 
on  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  his  martyrdom,  they  will  visit  the  mausoleum  of 
their  great  Commander-in-Chief,  under  whose  wise  and  patriotic  administration 
such  beneficent  and  far  reaching  results  were  achieved,  and  in  oratory  and  song 
express  their  love  and  veneration  for  his  memory.  They  have  invited  their 
brethren  in  other  cities  to  meet  them  here,  and  they  are  coming,  citizens  of 
Springfield,  whether  you  welcome  them  or  not.  They  are  coming  from  St.  Louis. 
They  are  coming  from  Chicago.  They  are  coming  from  Cincinnati.  .  From  In- 
dianapolis. From  Milwaukee.  From  Davenport,  and  from  many  smaller  towns 
and  cities. 

They  have  marched  into  hostile  cities  and  been  received  in  sullen  silence.  Shall 
their  advent  here  remind  them  of  that?  We  would  all  feel  degraded  if  it  were  so. 
The  welcome  that  will  gladden  their  hearts  will  be  to  see  the  Monument  appro- 
priately decorated,  and  a  proper  degree  of  interest  manifested  by  our  citizens  on 
the  occasion.  These  things  can  not  be  done  without  some  money.  It  will  re- 
quire about  $1,000.  If  you  are  willing  to  contribute  to  extend  such  a  welcome, 

—13 


202  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

hand  your  offering  to  any  one  of  the  finance  committee,  or  receive  them  cordially 
•when  they  call  for  your  contributions.  A  small  amount  from  each  citizen  would 
.give  us  ample  funds,  and  we  can  make  it  an  occasion  that  will  be  remembered  with 
pleasure  by  every  visitor  and  citizen. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  expenses  for  the  observance  of  the  day  are 
borne  by  the  gentlemen  who  are  the  originators  of  the  movement.  We  simply  ask 
the  citizens  of  Springfield  for  their  assistance  to  properly  receive  our  expected 
.guests  and  to  decorate  worthy  of  the  occasion.  F.  GEHKING, 

H.  S.  WELTON, 
J.  C.  POWER, 
J.  N.  KEECE. 
March,  1885. 

The  following  is  the  programme  agreed  upon  by  correspon- 
dence between  the  St.  Louis  and  Springfield  committees. 

1865—1885. 

OBSERVANCE  or  THE  TWENTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE  DEATH  OF 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 

Under  the  auspices  of  the 

GERMAN  TURNERS,  ST.  Louis  DISTRICT. 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  for  this  day  yield  the  Post  of  Honor  to  their 
St.  Louis  Visitors. 

Wednesday,  April  15th,  1885, 
AT  THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT. 

PROGRAMME— OBDEK  OF  PROCESSION. 

The  procession  will  form  at  the  Court  House  Square,  and  will  move  at  1  o'clock 
T.  M.  sharp. 

Grand  Marshal — Mnjor-General  A.  J.  Smith. 

First  Assistant  Grand  Marshal — Gen.  John  A.  McClernand. 

First  Assistant  Chief  Aid-de-Camp — Major  Eugene  F.  Weigel. 

ASSISTANT   MARSHALS. 

•Gen.  D.  P.  Grier,  Captain  J.  C.  Irving,  Gen.  D.  C.  Coleman, 

€apt.  W.  C.  Knispel,  Gen.  W.  C.  Kueffner,  Hon.  John  Mayo  Palmer, 

Col.  Chas.  G.  Stifel,  Hon.  J.  E.  Hill,  Col.  David  Murphy, 

Porter  Yates,  Col.  Edward  Rutz,  Dr.  Chas.  Ryan, 

John  Cook,  Jr.  Major  Otto  Lademann,  Maj.  Bluford  Wilson, 

Jacob  Bunn,  Jr.  Captain  W.  F.  Smith,  Statius  Kehrmann. 

In  Carriages:  Hon.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Governor  of  Illinois,  and  State  Officers; 
Members  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Association ,  Members  of  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor ;  Members  of  the  General  Assembly ;  Speakers  and  Executive 
Committee. 

FIRST   DIVISION. 

General  J.  W.  Vance,  Commanding,  and  Staff. 

Band  of  Music. 
Detachments  of  Illinois  and  Missouri  National  Guards. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  203 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

General  John  W.  Noble,  Commanding,  and  Staff. 

Band  of  Music. 

First  Brigade,  G.  A.  R.  of  Illinois,  General  W.  W.  Berry,  Marshal. 
tSecond  Brigade,  G.  A.  K.  of  Missouri  and  other  States,  Gen.  Nelson  Cole,  Marshal. 

THIRD   DIVISION. 

Louis  Nettelhorst,  Marshal,  and  Staff. 

In  Carriages — Executive  Officers  of  the  North  American  Turner  Bund. 

Memorial  Tablet  on  Decorated  Wagon,  on  each  side  of  the  Escort  of  Honor. 

Turner  Veterans  of  1861.    First  Reg't  Mo.  Vol.,  Go's  A,  B  and  C. 

Turners  from  all  parts  of  country,  as  District  Representatives. 

Band  of  Music. 

1.  Turner  Societies  from  about  40  cities. 

2.  Singing  Societies  from  about  20  cities. 

FOURTH  DIVISION. 

Colonel  H.  S.  Welton,  Marshal,  and  Staff. 

Band  of  Music. 

First  Brigade— Ex-Prisoners  of  War,  Col.  L.  D.  Rosette,  Commanding. 
"Second  Brigade— Sons  of  Veterans,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  Colonel  R.  V.  Mallory. 

FIFTH   DIVISION. 

Lieut.-Gov.  J.  C.  Smith,  Marshal,  and  Staff. 

Band  of  Music. 
National  Americans,  Lodges,  Benevolent  Societies  and  German  Societies. 

SIXTH  DIVISION. 
W.  L.  Gardner,  Marshall  and  Staff. 

Band  of  Music. 

Fire  Companies,  and  Citizens  in  Carriages. 

The  Memorial  services  will  begin  at  2  o'clock  p.  M.,  at  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument,  under  the  direction  of  Gen.  J.  N.  Reece,  Vice  President  of  The  Lincoln 
Ouard  of  Honor,  Master  of  Ceremonies,  assisted  by  Major  G.  S.  Dana,  President 
of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor. 

ORDER  OF  EXERCISES. 

PRAYER, 

By  Rev.  Francis  Springer,  D.  D.,  Chaplain  of  Stephenson  Post,  No.  30,  G.  A.  R., 

Springfield. 

1.  Music,  -  Knight  Templar  Band,  St.  Louis. 

2.  WELCOME  ADDRESS,  By  Governor  R.  J.  Oglesby,  of  Illinois. 

3.  SINGING,  "  Memorial  Song,"  -  Grand  Chorus. 

4.  ORATION,  in  English,    -  -  Hon.  J.  C.  Conkling,  Springfield. 

5.  SINGING,  "Lincoln  Hymn,"  Grand  Chorus. 

[Written  expressly  for  this  occasion  by  E.  A.  Zuendt] 
Music  by  Prof.  Oscar  Schmoll. 

6.  ORATION  IN  GERMAN,  By  Dr.  H.  M.  Starkloff,  of  St.  Louis. 

7.  DEDICATION  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  TABLET,        -        By  the  President  of  the 

North  American  Turner  Bund,  John  Toensfeldt. 

8.  ORATION,  Hon.  John  A.  Logan. 

9.  FLOWER  DECORATION,  By  the  Public. 
10.    READING  OF  LETTERS,                       From  President  Cleveland.  Ex- President 

Arthur,  and  Hon.  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  by  the  Corresponding  Secretary. 


204  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

11.  SINGING,  "  My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee,"  -  Grand  Chorus. 

The  Audience  joining  in  the  Chorus. 

12.  Music,  -  U.  S.  Cavalry  Band,  Jefferson  Barracks. 

Capt.  Lewis,  Leader. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  or  HONOR. 

G.  S.  Dana,  President.  J.  N.  Reece,  Vice -President 

J.  C.  Power,  Secretary.  J.  P.  Lindley,  Treasurer. 

J.  F.  McNeill.  E.  S.  Johnson. 

N.  B.  Wiggins.  H.  Chapin. 
C.  L.  Conkling. 

EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE. 

Francis  P.  Becker,  President.  H.  W.  Ocker,  Vice -President.  v 

John  J.  Linck,  Secretary.  Emile  A.  Becker,  Cor.  Secretary. 

Ernst  Sschmann,  Treasurer  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  Grand  Marshal. 

Eugene  F.  Weigel,  Chief  Aid.  Louis  Duestrow. 

J.  B.  Gandolfo,  J.  Nolte, 

Geo.  Bamberger,  Frederick  Pfisterer, 

Ernst  Gieselmann,  Adolph  Kleinecke, 

A.  L.  Bergfeld,  Chas.  Bieger, 

Chas.  Struebing. 
Musical  Director — Prof.  Oscar  Schmoll. 

LOCAL   EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE,    OF   SPKINGFIELD,   ILLINOIS. 

Gen.  J.  N.  Reece,  Master  of  Ceremonies  and  President  of  Committee. 

Major  G.  S.  Dana,  Assistant  to  Gen.  Reece, 

Charles  Herman,  Chairman  Committee  on  Finance. 

C.  A.  Gehrmann,  Chairman  Committee  on  Decoration. 

F.  Gehring,  Chairman  Committee  on  Address. 

C.  U.  Kettler,  Chairman  Committee  on  Music. 

Hon.  H.  D.  Dement,  Chairman  Committee  on  Reception. 

The  people  of  Springfield  responded  liberally  to  the  appeal 
of  the  committee  for  funds,  and  numerous  arches  were  planned 
for  spanning  the  streets  at  different  points.  The  south  gate 
to  Oak  Eidge  Cemetery  was  removed  and  a  number  of  the 
tallest  telegraph  poles  set  in  the  ground,  preparatory  to 
building  a  grand  triumphal  arch  over  the  entrance.  Other 
telegraph  poles,  not  so  tall,  were  planted  near  the  Catacomb, 
art  the  Monument,  in  order  to  support  a  grand  canopy  over 
the  entrance.  Every  movement  indicated  that  the  people  of 
Springfield  had,  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm,  entered  into  the 
spirit  of  the  occasion,  but  the  work  had  to  be  suspended  in 
an  unfinished  condition.  When  the  time  arrived  for  forming 
the  procession,  at  noon  Wednesday,  the  15th,  rain  had  fallen 
in  torrents  for  forty  hours,  rendering  the  unpaved  streets 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  205 

utterly  impassable.  Notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  condi- 
tion of  the  weather,  the  people  had  been  pouring  into  the 
city  on  every  train,  hoping  that  the  rain  would  cease,  but  it 
still  continued.  Most  of  the  organizations  assembled  at  their 
places  of  rendezvous,  preparatory  to  forming  the  procession, 
but  all  thought  of  marching  to  the  Monument,  where  the 
services  were  to  have  been  held,  was  abandoned,  because 
there  was  no  paved  street  extending  so  far  out,  and  those 
who  had  formed  in  line  were  permitted  to  break  ranks.  Ar- 
rangements were  speedily  made  to  hold  the  exercises  in  the 
basement  of  the  State  Capitol,  the  Legislature  being  in  session 
precluded  the  possibility  of  occupying  the  halls  above.  A 
temporary  stand  had  been  erected,  to  be  used  in  the  event  of 
the  weather  being  unfavorable.  The  stand  was  occupied  by 
Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith, 
Gov.  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Ex-Gov.  John  M.  Palmer,  Gen.  John  A. 
McClernand,  Col.  Richard  Rowett,  Dr.  H.  N.  Starkloff  of  St. 
Louis,  Gen.  Edwin  A.  Sherman  of  San  Francisco,  Hon.  J.  C. 
Oonkling  of  Springfield,  and  others. 

At  half-past  two  o'clock,  the  assemblage  was  called  to  order 
by  the  President  ot  the  day,  Gen.  J.  N.  Reece.  After  music 
t>y  the  bands,  the  services  were  opened  with 

PRAYER,   BY  REV.    FRANCIS  SPRINGER,   D.   D.  t 

O  God,  most  merciful,  be  pleased  to  answer  the  prayers  of  the  thousands  of 
•devout  supplicants  who,  all  over  this  broad  land,  often  pray  to  Thee  for  blessing 
to  this  greatest  of  the  Republics.  If,  at  any  time,  war  must  come,  do  Thou,  O 
Lord,  as  Thou  hast  done  in  the  past,  raise  up  able  leaders  and  brave  men,  who 
may  be  qualified  and  willing  to  do  the  right  in  the  day  of  peril  as  Thou  shalt  show 
them,  lutwepray  that  henceforth  the  counsels  of  Christian  truth  and  reason' 
and  not  the  sword,  shall  decide  between  parties  at  variance  with  each  other.  We 
beseech  Thee,  0  Lord,  so  to  bless  the  exercises  of  this  memorial  occasion  as  to 
impress  on  all  who  are  present  a  proper  sense  of  obligation  to  God  for  the  privi- 
leges and  enjoyments  of  this  day.  We  call  to  mind  the  declaration  of  Divine  wis- 
dom that  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  but  f>in  is  a  reproach  to  any  people;  and 
that  blessed  is  the  nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord.  We  devoutly  entreat  Thee, 
therefore,  that  no  other  but  an  uplifting  and  ennobling  influence  may  be  wrought 
throughout  the  land  by  the  reports  of  this  day's  services  commemorative  of  the 
virtues  and  achievements  of  the  Martyr-President.  And  now,  Lord,  let  thy  spirit 
dwell  richly  in  each  mind,  and  the  joy  of  Thy  good  presence  fill  each  heart.  All 
this  we  ask  in  the  name  of  Christ,  our  Redeemer.  Amen. 

Gov.  Oglesby  was  then  introduced,  and  delivered  the  fol- 
lowing very  appropriate 


206  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME: 

PILGRIMS  TO  THE  SHRINE  OF  OUR  COUNTRY'S  PATRON  SAINT,  "WHO  COME  WITH 
SACRED  DEVOTION  TO  RENEW  HERE  YOUR  FEALTY  TO  LOVE  OF  COUNTRY, 
TO  LIBERTY,  AND  TO  THOSE  EXALTED  AND  INESTIMABLE  PRINCIPLES  OF 
PATRIOTISM,  PEACE  AND  GOOD  GOVERNMENT  His  LIFE  so  ADMIRABLY 
ILLUSTRATED: 

On  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  this  solemn  and  awful  day,  which  first  recorded 
in  our  country's  history  the  crime  of  political  assassination,  here  at  the  tomb  of 
the  great  martyr  to  liberty  and  Union,  with  saddened  heart  and  heavy  weight  of 
woe,  I  welcome  you — welcome  you  to  the  solemn  rites  and  services  which  will  for- 
ever mark  the  return  of  that  sad  hour  when  fell-the  Great  Liberator,  fell  that  great 
light,  who,  under  Providence  and  the  guidance  of  his  own  wonderful,  almost  infin- 
ite, genius,  directed  our  way  through  the  darkest  hour  to  befall  any  Nation,  and 
surely  the  darkest  and  saddest  hour  to  our  own  beloved  country  ever  scored  by  the 
cruel  finger  of  time,  whose  inextinguishable  influence,  radiant  with  hope  and 
promise,  still  leads  us  to  the  sweeter  and  purer  light  of  a  broader  liberty  and  a 
higher  manhood.  In  behalf  of  all  the  people  of  his  State,  I  welcome  you  to  the 
TOMB  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

THE  LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  SONG,   OR  LINCOLN  HYMN. 

Written  for  this  occasion  by  E.  A.  Ziiendt,  in  German,  and 
translated  into  English  by  I.  D.  Foulon.  Music  by  Prof. 
Oscar  Schmoll.  It  was  then  sung  in  German  by  a  Grand 
Chorus  composed  of  all  the  singing  societies  present.  Follow- 
ing is  the  translation : 

Mysterious  murmurs  fill  the  air, 

A  thrill  runs  through  creation ; 
He  comes,  the  chief  beyond  compare, 

To  look  upon  his  Nation. 
He  was  a  hero  in  the  strife, 

In  peace  he  did  not  falter, 
As  pledge  of  love,  his  precious  life 

He  lay  on  Freedom's  altar — 

His  noble  life,  his  precious  life, 
He  lay  on  Freedom's  altar. 

"We  gazed  on  him  with  love  and  trust, 

On  him,  the  noble-hearted — 
Who  trampled  treason  in  the  dust, 

Yet  dried  each  tear  that  started. 
How  great,  how  simple,  stands  he  there, 

Our  banner's  guard  supernal; 
So  far,  yet  here,  for  everywhere, 

Like  yonder  stars  eternal — 

He  looks  on  us,  he  looks  on  us, 
Like  vonder  stars  eternal. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  207 

From  sea  to  sea  a  song  is  heard, 

The  Nation  all  rejoices 
That  Freedom  is  the  dearest  word 

To  fifty  million  voices. 
Hark!  Lincoln  speaks :    " Be  henceforth  one 

And  love  ye  one  another! " 
The  answer  rings  from  sun  to  sun: 

"  Our  neighbor  is  our  brother! " 

"  From  sea  to  sea,  the  land  is  free, 
Our  neighbor  is  our  brother." 

His  dust  is  here,  his  spirit  soars 

Aloft  on  eagle's  pinions, 
As  we  lay  near  this  temple's  doors 

Fresh  flow'rs  from  song's  dominions. 
See !  there's  the  flag  he  loved,  unfurled, 

Which  Freedom's  winds  are  kissing, 
Let  Lincoln's  name  ring  through  the  world, 

For  not  one  star  is  missing ; 

Come,  cast  your  flow'rs  in  fragrant  show'rs, 
For  not  one  star  is  missing. 

Hon.  James  C.  Conkling.  of  Springfield,  was  then  introduced r 
and  delivered  the  following 

ORATION  : 

Twenty  years  ago  this  day,  Abraham  Lincoln  became  immortal.  The  pistol  and 
the  dagger  of  the  assassin  secured  for  him  an  eternal  fame.  "  The  deep  damnation 
of  his  taking  off  "  not  only  startled  and  astonished  all  mankind,  but  encircled  his 
brow  with  the  halo  of  a  martyr.  Since  that  memorable  day,  the  language  of  eulogy 
has  been  exhausted  in  endeavoring  to  portray  the  character  and  the  virtues  of  the 
Great  Emancipator.  No  genius,  however  sublime,  has  disdained  to  lay  its  tribute 
at  his  shrine.  No  statesman,  however  exalted,  has  refused  to  recognize  him  as  the 
peer  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  any  age.  The  historian  will  search  in  vain 
among  the  records  of  the  past  for  a  human  character  more  unsullied,  an  intellect 
more  comprehensive,  a  sagacity  more  unerring,  and  a  wisdom  more  profound. 
Poetry  has  gracefully  intertwined  its  numbers  with  his  praises,  and  has  embalmed 
his  memory  in  immortal  song. 

Had  he  died  earlier,  he  would  not  have  filled  the  full  measure  of  his  fame,  and 
the  grand  object  of  his  mission  would  net  have  been  accomplished.  But  he  lived 
to  see  the  dissolution  of  the  rebel  armies ;  to  hear  the  exultant  shouts  of  our  vic- 
torious legions ;  to  grasp  the  hand  of  the  slave  redeemed  by  the  genius  of  emanci- 
pation; to  see  the  star-spangled  banner  floating  gloriously  over  every  fort  and 
every  citidel  that  had  belonged  to  the  government ;  to  behold  treason  crushed,  the 
Constitution  preserved,  and  the  Union  saved. 

The  carnage  of  war  had  ceased.  The  terrible  struggle  of  contending  armies  had 
stopped.  The  horrid  implements  of  destruction  no  longer  hurled  the  missiles  of 
death  upon  opposing  ranks.  The  rattle  of  musketry  and  the  roar  of  artillery  no 
longer  shook  the  earth.  Peace,  white-robed  peace,  with  all  its  heavenly  and  puri- 
fying influences,  had  come,  and  come  to  stay.  The  patriotic  soldier  had  discharged 


208  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

his  obligations  to  the  flag.  And  now,  the  husbandman  prepared  to  return  to  his 
farm  ;  the  mechanic  to  his  workshop  ;  the  scholar  to  his  study  ;  and  the  merchant 
to  his  counting-room.  The  duties  of  the  citizen,  the  love  of  home,  the  affection 
for  wife  and  children,  caused  those  vast  armies  to  disappear  like  the  mists  of  the 
morning  and  the  clouds  upon  a  summer  sky. 

In  the  midst  of  universal  rejoicing  among  patriots,  men  looked  forward  to  a  long 
period  of  prosperity,  in  which  they  expected  to  recuperate  from  the  ravages  of 
•war ;  when  the  Nation,  under  the  influence  of  better  counsels,  and  a  purer  patriot- 
ism, and  a  richer  experience,  would  commence  a  more  glorious  career.  The  mar- 
tyred President  himself  fondly  anticipated  the  time  when  he  could  retire  from  the 
•cares  and  responsibilities  of  official  station,  and  enjoy,  in  quiet  retirement,  the 
love  and  gratitude  of  the  people,  whom  he  had  so  well  and  so  faithfully  served. 
The  dark  clouds  of  sorrow  were  passing  away  from  his  brow.  The  radiant  hopes 
•of  the  future  filled  his  soul  with  joy,  and  spread  like  a  halo  of  glory  over  his  sad- 
dened features.  He  had  arrived  at  the  very  summit  of  personal  and  political  am- 
bition. With  the  eye  of  faith  he  could  see  the  increasing  grandeur  of  this  mighty, 
ocean-bound  Republic ;  could  witness,  in  the  near  future,  a  hundred  millions  of 
industrious  and  intelligent  freemen  spread  over  this  vast  continent;  could  behold 
the  tide  of  emigration  rolling  westward  with  tremendous  rapidity,  founding  pow- 
erful States,  astablishing  prosperous  and  magnificent  cities;  constructing  railroads 
from  ocean  to  ocean;  developing  fabulous  mines  of  gold  and  silver;  and  filling  ten 
thousand  channels  of  commerce  with  the  productions  of  our  luxuriant  soil.  He 
could  see  this  united  people  proudly  and  majestically  ascending  in  the  scale  of 
nations;  commanding  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all  mankind;  paying  off  its 
vast  national  debt  with  unexampled  rapidity;  inaugurating  reforms;  administer- 
ing the  laws  with  impartial  justice  without  respect  to  persons,  and  then  transmit- 
ting this  rich  inheritance  to  their  descendants  through  unnumbered  generations. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  glowing  anticipations;  in  the  presence  of  wife  and 
friends  and  a  crowded  assembly;  without  a  moment's  warning;  with  no  opportunity 
for  defense,  or  chance  of  escape,  the  bullet  of  the  assassin  crushed  through  his 
<?are-worn  brain.  He  lingered  for  a  few  hours.  The  tide  of  life  slowly  ebbed 
away.  And  on  the  morning  of  this  day,  twenty  years  ago,  the  faithful  husband, 
the  affectionate  father,  the  devoted  friend,  the  honest  citizen,  the  eminent  lawyer, 
the  wise  legislator,  the  martyred  President,  lay  cold  in  the  embi'ace  of  death. 

The  shock  was  felt  to  the  remotest  extremities  of  the  earth.  Every  civilized 
pec  pie  recoiled  with  horror  and  execrated  the  dastardly  act.  Even  barbarism 
shuddered  at  the  enormity  of  the  crime.  Crowned  heads  shed  tears  of  grief,  and 
the  poor  down-trodden  slave  uttered  the  wailings  of  despair.  All  classes  of  society 
experienced,  in  this  terrible  blow,  a  personal  affliction.  This  Nation  was  draped  in 
mourning.  The  habiliments  of  woe  appeared  on  every  side.  Strong  men's  hearts 
were  crushed,  and  they  wept  like  children.  Across  this  widespread  continent  a 
prolonged  wail  of  agony  ascended  to  heaven,  as  if  the  world's  final  catastrophe 
had  arrived. 

But  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die.  Dust  to  dust  is  the  common  destiny 
of  all  humanity.  For  six  thousand  years,  and  more,  the  tramp  of  unnumbered 
millions  has  been  steadily  pressing  onward  to  the  grave.  Generations  rise  and 
flourish  and  disappear  before  the  remorseless  scythe  of  time.  Human  ambition 
has  never  conquered  the  realms  of  death.  No  mortal  has  ever  purchased  immunity 
from  its  inexorable  decision.  Alexander  and  Csesar  and  Napoleon,  although  they 
achieved  grand  victories  over  countless  millions,  fell  victims  to  the  arch  destroyer. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  209 

Solomon,  -with  all  his  wealth,  with  all  his  glory;  Croesus,  Washington,  with  all  his 
•wisdom,  could  not  bribe  him  for  delay.     The  grand  leveler  of  the  human  race  opens 
the  portals  of  the  tomb  to  all  alke,  without  respect  to  persons,  without  respect  to 
age,  or  sex,  or  condition  in  life. 
In  the  language  of  the  favorite  poem  of  Mr.  Lincoln — 

"  Then  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ? 
Like  a  swift  flying  meteor;  a  fast  flying  cloud; 
A  flash  of  the  lightning;  a  break  of  the  wave; 
He  passeth  from  life  to  his  rest  in  the  grave. 

'Tis  the  wink  of  an  eye;  'tis  the  draught  of  a  breath — 
From  the  blossom  of  health  to  the  paleness  of  death — 
From  the  gilded  saloon  to  the  bier  and  the  shroud; 
O,  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ?" 

The  funeral  ceremonies  of  the  lamented  Lincoln  were  performed  upon  a  magni- 
-ficent  scale.  His  body  remained  at  the  Executive  Mansion  until  the  19th  day  of 
April,  when  the  Acting  President  and  his  Cabinet,  Governors  of  States  and  mem- 
bers of  the  diplomatic  corps,  distinguished  officers  of  the  army  and  navy,  and 
many  prominent  citizens,  gazed  for  the  last  time  upon  the  features  of  the  illus- 
trious dead.  The  casket,  with  its  precious  remains,  was  then  removed  to  the 
rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  whilst  thousands  of  spectators  looked  with  mournful  hearts 
upon  the  sad  procession.  Regiments  of  infantry,  squadrons  of  cavalry,  batteries 
of  artillery,  civic  associations,  clerks  of  departments,  vast  delegations  from  various 
States,  and  large  numbers  of  colored  men,  marched  amidst  the  tolling  of  bells, 
the  firing  of  cannon,  and  the  solemn  strains  of  martial  music.  At  the  rotunda  the 
casket  was  deposited  upon  a  magnificent  catafalque.  A  continuous  throng  passed 
through  the  Capitol  from  early  morn  until  late  at  night  on  the  20th,  and  more  than 
twenty-five  thousand  persons  took  a  long,  last,  lingering  look  at  the  well-known 
features  of  their  martyred  President. 

Upon  the  next  day  began  the  longest,  saddest  funeral  procession  that  was  ever 
recorded  by  the  pen  of  the  historian. 

Four  years  previous,  on  the  llth  day  of  February,  he  bad  left  his  home  in  this 
•city  to  assume  the  duties  of  the  Executive  of  this  great  Nation.  He  was  not  in- 
sensible to  the  heavy  responsibilities  which  devolved  upon  him,  nor  to  the  dangers 
by  which  he  was  surrounded.  I  heard  him  utter  the  parting  words  of  his  pathetic 
and  memorable  farewell,  in  which  he  said : 

"  MY  FRIENDS  :  No  one,  not  in  my  situation,  can  appreciate  my  feeling  of  sad- 
ness at  this  parting.  To  this  place,  and  the  kindness  of  these  people,  I  owe 
everything.  Here  I  have  lived  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  have  passed  from  a 
young  to  an  old  man.  Here  my  children  have  been  born,  and  one  is  buried.  I 
now  leave,  not  knowing  when  or  whether  ever  I  may  return,  with  a  task  before  me 
greater  than  that  which  rested  upon  Washington.  Without  the  assistance  of  that 
Divine  Being  who  ever  attended  him,  I  cannot  succeed.  With  that  assistance,  I 
cannot  fail.  Trusting  in  Him,  who  can  go  with  me,  and  remain  with  you,  and  be 
everywhere  for  good,  let  us  confidently  hope  that  all  will  yet  be  well.  To  His  care 
commending  you,  as  I  hope  in  your  prayers  you  will  commend  me,  I  bid  you  an 
affectionate  farewell." 

And  thus  he  departed  from  his  friends  and  neighbors  upon  his  grand  mission  to 
the  Capital  of  the  nation.  It  was  a  triumphal  progress  amidst  the  enthusiastic 
cheers  of  immense  multitudes.  Thirty  thousand  welcomed  him  at  Indianapolis. 


210  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

One  hundred  thousand  greeted  him  at  Cincinnati,  including  two  thousand  liberty 
loving  Germans  amidst  the  roar  of  artillery  and  profuse  decorations.  At  Colum- 
bus he  addressed  a  vast  concourse.  Thence  through  Cleveland,  Buffalo  and 
Albany  to  New  York  city,  it  was  one  continued  ovation.  At  this  great  metropolis 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  people  strove  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  him,  who 
expected  to  assume  the  reins  of  government,  and  control  the  destinies  of  this 
grand  Republic.  One  hundred  thousand  persons  lined  the  streets  of  Philadelphia, 
where  he  had  agreed  to  raise  the  American  Flag,  on  Independence  Hall,  on  Wash- 
ington's birthday.  In  his  address  on  that  interesting  occasion,  he  referred  to  the 
sentiment  of  liberty,  that  was  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  said  : 

"Can  this  country  be  saved  upon  this  basis?  If  it  can,  I  will  consider  myself 
one  of  the  happiest  of  men,  if  I  can  help  to  save  it.  If  it  cannot  be  saved  upon  that: 
principle,  it  will  be  truly  awful.  If  this  country  cannot  be  saved  without  giving 
up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to  say,  I  would  rather  be  assissinated  on  this  spot 
than  surrender  it." 

Who  shall  say  that  he  was  not  then  concious  of  the  dangers  by  which  he  was 
surrounded,  and  had  not  then  a  presentiment  of  an  awful  and  violent  death? 

With  his  visit  to  Harrisburg,  his  raturn  to  Philadelphia,  his  passage  through 
Baltimore,  and  his  arrival  at  Washington  you  are  all  familiar.  The  4th  of  March 
arrived.  At  the  front  of  the  Capitol,  in  the  presence  of  loyal  friends  and  glowering 
foes,  he  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  He  denounced,  in  emphatic  language,  the 
doctrine  of  secession,  and  declared  it  to  be  his  duty  to  stand  by  the  Constitution 
and  the  Union. 

He  said  :  "I  consider  that,  in  view  of  the  constitution  and  the  laws,  the  Union 
is  unbroken,  and  to  the  estent  of  my  ability,  I  shall  take  care,  as  the  Constitution 
expressly  enjoins  upon  me,  that  the  laws  of  the  Union  shall  be  faithfully  executed 
in  all  the  States.  I  trust  this  will  not  be  regarded  as  a  menace,  but  only  as  the 
declared  purpose  of  the  Union,  that  it  will  constitutionally  defend  and  maintain 
itself." 

But  how  inexpressibly  tender  were  the  closing  words  of  this  remarkable  address. 

He  said :  "I  am  loth  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies  but  friends.  We  must  not 
be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bond  of 
affection.  The  mystic  cords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battlefield  and  pa- 
;  triot  grave,  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone,  all  over  this  broad  land,  will  yet 
swell  the  chorous  of  the  Union,  when  again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the 
better  angels  of  our  nature." 

How  prophetic  was  this  language  of  the  memories  which  now  linger  around  a 
hundred  battlefields,  and  the  gr  ,ves  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  patriots, 
who  died  that  the  nation  might  live. 

How  prophetic  of  this  period,  when  a  grand  chorus  of  patriotic  song  ascends 
from  every  portion  of  the  land,  both  north  and  south,  when  earnest  prayers  arise, 
like  incense,  from  the  grateful  hearts  of  fifty  millions  of  people,  in  favor  of  the  con- 
tinued and  perpetual  existence  of  the  Union  ;  when  the  beautu'ul  flowers  of  spring 
are  scattered  by  loving  hands  upon  the  sacred  ground  where  slumber  both  friend 
and  foe  alike. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  the  details  of  this  gigantic  rebellion.  It  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  above  the  carnage  of  battle ;  above  the  terriffic  shock  of 
armies ;  above  the  awful  destruction  of  life  and  property ;  above  the  throes  of  an 
agonized  nation  struggling  for  fife,  stood  the  towering  intellect  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, calmly  surveying  the  widespread  and  terrible  scene.  By  his  appeals  to  the 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  211 

people  he  created  vast  armies.  By  his  extraordinary  sagacity  and  intuitive  knowl- 
edge of  men,  he  selected  successful  commanders  and  able  counsellors.  By  his 
kindness  and  cheering  words,  he  stimulated  the  ambition  and  kindled  the  patriot- 
ism of  the  private  soldier.  By  his  wisdom,  he  aided  in  devising  the  ways  and 
means  of  defraying  the  enormous  expenses  of  the  government ;  and  by  his  practi- 
cal common  sense,  and  excellent  substitute  for  diplomatic  skill,  he  successfully 
avoided  any  conflict  with  unfriendly  nations. 

Amidst  the  discouragements  of  defeat  he  never  yielded  to  the  sentiment  of  dis- 
pair.  Amidst  the  shouts  of  triumph  he  was  never  unduly  elated  by  success.  Though 
opposed  to  slavery,  he  preferred  the  Union.  But  when  the  auspicious  moment 
arrived,  he  issued  the  proclamation  which  struck  the  chains  from  four  millions  of 
human  beings  ;  "and  upon  this  act,  sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of  justice,  war- 
ranted by  the  constitution,  upon  military  necessity,  he  invoked  the  considerate 
judgment  of  mankind,  and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God." 

Six  months  afterwards,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  was  crowned  with  victory,  under 
the  skillful  management  of  Grant  and '  his  illustrious  Generals ;  and  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  was  successfully  fought  and  won  by  Meade  and  his  gallant  soldiers. 
These  were  fearful  blows  to  the  Confederacy,  but  when  Sherman  pierced  its  heart, 
and  accomplished  his  grand  and  glorous  march  to  the  sea,  he  demonstrated  its 
weakness,  and  foretold  its  speedy  dissolution. 

But  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  for  another  presidential  term.  In  his  second  in- 
augural address  he  exhibited  the  same  generous  sentiments  towards  the  nation's 
foes  which  he  had  formerly  displayed,  and  the  same  characteristics  of  God-like 
and  magnanimous  spirit.  Said  he,  "with  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all, 
with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish 
the  work  we  are  in  ;  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds ;  to  care  for  him  who  shall 
have  borne  the  battle  and  for  his  widow  and  orphans  ;  to  do  all  which  may  achieve 
and  cherish  a  just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all  nations." 

Such  were  the  sentiments  expressed  by  this  magnanimous  President  but  a  few 
weeks  before  his  death.  Such  a  spirit  of  forgiveness  had  never  been  exhibited 
among  the  civilized  governments  of  the  earth.  In  other  lands,  treason  would  have 
been  punished  by  slaughter  of  whole  hecatombs  of  victims.  But  Lincoln  abhored 
the  shedding  of  blood.  No  traitor,  with  his  permission,  had  expiated  his  crime  upon 
the  scaffold.  "Sic  semper  tyrannis,"  had  no  apoligy  for  its  utterance,  in  any  act 
of  his  life  or  in  any  trait  of  his  character. 

But  now  that  gentle,  forgiving  spirit  had  been  driven  from  its  tenement  by  the 
hands  of  an  assassin.  His  mortal  remains  had  commenced  the  most  solemn  and 
most  remarkable  funeral  procession  ever  described  on  the  pages  of  history.  For 
more  than  sixteen  hundred  miles  they  were  tenderly  and  lovingly  carried  from  city 
to  city,  from  State  to  State,  by  lofty  mountain  peaks,  through  deep  gorged  valleys 
and  over  extensive  prairies  to  his  western  home.  During  the  silent  hours  of  night 
and  under  the  glaring  rays  of  the  noonday  sun,  those  precious  relics  passed 
through  continuous  throngs  of  men,  women  and  children,  who  reverently  stood 
with  tearful  eyes  and  uncovered  heads  and  throbbing  hearts  as  they  gazed  upon 
the  gloomy  panorama.  Amidst  the  tolling  of  bells,  the  booming  of  cannon,  and  the 
mournful  tones  of  the  funeral  dirge,  they  were  transported  from  Capitol  to  Capitol 
until  they  reached  this  sacred  spot  and  were  deposited  within  these  consecrated 
grounds. 

Here  many  thousand  had  assembled  to  witness  the  last  obsequies  of  the  illus- 
trious dead.  Here  his  old  friends  and  neighbors  had  gathered  to  honor  his  memory 


212  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

amidst  profound  grief  and  loud  lamentations.  They  had  known  him  in  his  youth 
and  early  manhood.  They  had  witnessed  his  successful  struggles  in  professional 
life,  and  his  honorable  career  as  their  public  servant.  They  had  listened  to  his 
sparkling  wit ;  his  jovial  ancedotes  ;  his  convincing  logic  and  his  powerful  argu- 
ments, when  a  candidate  for  political  preferment.  They  had  reposed  upon  his 
judgment  with  implicit  confidence.  They  had  trusted  without  hesitation  to  his 
stern  integrity.  They  had  selected  him  as  their  champion  in  their  memorable  con- 
test of  1858  in  which  he  achieved  a  national  fame.  They  had  helped  to  elevate 
him  to  the  Presicdntial  chair,  and  had  seen  him  fill,  with  destinction,  the  highest 
office  in  the  gift  of  mankind. 

But  now  the  closing  scenes  in  the  drama  were  about  to  occur.  The  sad  rites  of 
sepulture  were  about  to  be  performed.  The  last  funeral  dirge  was  sung.  The  last 
oration  was  delivered  in  the  eloquent  language  of  the  gifted  orator.  The  last  bene- 
diction was  pronounced,  and  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  illustrious  Lincoln  was  con- 
signed to  the  silence  of  the  tomb. 

Yonder  stands  his  statue,  a  faithful  representation  of  his  person  and  his  feat- 
ures ;  the  same  calm  and  majestic  mein ;  the  same  peaceful  and  contemplative 
look ;  the  same  thoughtful  and  patient  appearance.  Me  thinks  he  looks  down  upon 
this  vast  assemblage,  like  the  presiding  genius  of  this  united  and  prosperous  na- 
tion, with  an  approving  smile,  while  he  holds  in  his  hand  that  grand  proclamation 
which  is  destined  to  make  his  name  immortal. 

Here,  too,  is  a  monument  worthy  of  his  fame.  Erected  by  the  voluntary  contribu- 
tions of  the  people,  all  over  this  broad  land,  we  trust  it  will  last  for  ages,  to  com- 
memorate his  virtues  and  testify  their  gratitude  for  his  services ;  that  it  will  become 
a  Mecca,  toward  which  the  lovers  of  freedom,  throughout  the  world,  will  annually 
make  their  pilgrimage  to  drink  deep  of  the  spirit  of  Liberty  and  renew  their  alle- 
giance to  its  cause ;  and  that  all  races  of  men,  without  distinction,  will  bow  rever- 
ently before  this  shrine  and  ascribe  praise  and  honor  to  the  great  Emancipator. 

May  the  affections  of  the  people  cluster  forever  around  this  monument  from 
foundation  stone  to  turrent  top.  May  its  obelisk  continue  firm  and  unshaken  so 
that  succeeding  generations  from  age  to  age  may  be  reminded  of  the  character 
and  virtues  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

H.  M.  Starkloff,  M.  D.,  of  St.  Louis,  ex-President  of  the 
North  American  Turner-Bund  (Union),  was  introduced,  and 
delivered  an  oration  in  German,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
translation,  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Gehrmann,  of  Springfield,  who 
assures  the  editor  that  it  unavoidably  loses  some  of  its  crenm 
in  the  translation.  In  its  original  language,  it  must  be  rich, 
indeed. 

ORATION  BY  DR.   STARKLOFF. 

Twenty  years  have  passed  since  the  ball  of  a  cowardly  murderer  severed  the 
life-thread  of  the  man  chosen  by  the  American  people  for  their  supreme  leader; 
he  who,  in  the  greatest  national  danger  and  calamity,  never  failed  to  justify  the  con- 
fidence placed  in  him.  His  memory,  like  that  of  George  Washington,  has  found  a 
place  in  the  hearts  of  all,  to  remain  forever.  We  have  assembled  here  on  the  anni- 
versary of  his  death,  representative  of  our  great  Nations,  to  give  expressions  wor- 
thy of  his  memory,  and  to  review  the  life  of  him  whose  noble  work  is  already 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  213 

engraved  in  golden  letters  on  the  world's  history.  We  come,  not  to  pay  tribute  to 
the  dead  in  words  alone,  but  to  impress  upon  our  minds  that  beautiful  moral  pic- 
ture which  his  pure  and  conscientious  life  has  shown  to  us;  to  take  it  as  a  guide 
to  our  own  actions;  to  use  his  virtues  and  noble  deeds  as  a  historic  banner,  to  be 
pointed  out  to  our  children  as  worthy  of  imitation,  and  as  a  precept  by  which  future 
generations  may  estimate  their  progressive  ideas  and  the  growth  of  their  excellen- 
cies. Abraham  Lincoln,  whose  violent  death  was  a  calamity  to  an  entire  Nation, 
was  born  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky.  The  restless  life  of  his  father,  who  moved 
from  place  to  place,  in  the  vain  hope  of  finding  land  which  would  support 
him  without  much  labor,  deprived  young  Abe  of  a  regular  school  training, 
and  only  under  great  difficulties  he  learned  to  read  and  write.  His  desire  for 
knowledge  caused  him  to  read  and  study  every  book  he  could  lay  his  hands  on. 
A  history  of  the  life  of  George  Washington,  which  he  borrowed  of  a  farmer  friend, 
was  a  special  favorite,  and  he  carried  it  with  him  wherever  he  went.  Soon  he  be- 
gan to  write  short  pieces.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  the  rudeness  of  some  of  his  asso- 
ciates caused  him  to  write  an  article  about  cruelty  to  animals.  Taking  the  position 
of  clerk  in  a  store,  he  soon  became  popular  with  his  patrons,  who  considered  him 
the  ne  plus  ultra  of  learning  and  honesty.  When  about  nineteen,  Mr.  Lincoln 
tried  his  fortunes  on  a  New  Orleans  trading  or  flat-boat  as  pilot  and  salesman,  or 
supercargo.  After  making  a  successful  trip,  he  returned  to  New  Salem,  (now  ex- 
tinct) Illinois,  where  he  came  in  contact  with  many  rude  and  rough  people,  who, 
knowing  his  great  kindness  and  his  peaceable  disposition,  imposed  upon  him,  and 
often  made  him  a  target  for  their  jokes,  until  one  day,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  and  at 
the  expense  of  his  tormentors,  he  made  use  of  his  fists,  and  speedily  terminated  his 
troubles  of  that  kind.  This  intrepidity  caused  him  to  be  elected  captain  of  a 
military  company  organized  to  fight  the  Indians,  who  were  committing  depreda- 
tions against  the  frontier  settlers.  Returned  home,  he  took  a  position  as  assistant 
to  the  county  surveyor,  and  later  was  appointed  postmaster  at  New  Salem,  and 
in  that  position  found  time  to  take  up  the  study  of  law,  and  was  finally  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Falling  in  love  with  an  estimable  young  lady  aroused  his  ambition. 
He  became  a  candidate  for  a  seat  in  the  legislature  of  Illinois  and  was  elected. 
His  popularity  with  the  people  grew  from  day  to  day.  and  it  was  he  alone  who 
could  stand  up  and  offer  an  energetic  protest  against  slavery.  In  the  meantime, 
he  gained  great  reputation  as  an  attorney,  as  he  principally  took  up  none  but  just 
and  honest  cases,  and  prosecuted  or  defended  them  vigorously  and  with  success. 

No  slanderous  tongue  dared  to  impeach  his  integrity,  and  the  popular  name, 
"  Honest  Abe,"  remained  with  him  till  death.  When  the  great  statesman,  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  presented  his  Nebraska  bill,  by  Avhich  attention  was  called  to  the  im- 
portance of  the  slavery  question  in  relation  to  the  Territories,  the  strife  began. 
Party  ties  were  severed,  and  a  new  party,  the  Republican,  came  into  existence 
and  Abraham  Lincoln  became  the  western  leader.  The  struggle  for  the  seat  about 
to  become  vacant  by  expiration  of  the  term  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in  the  -United 
States  Senate,  illustrates  the  greatness  and  honesty  of  Lincoln's  character.  His 
friends,  fearing  he  would  go  too  far,  pressed,  and  even  implored,  him  to  be  more 
reserved  in  his  expressions  with  reference  to  the  abolishment  of  slavery.  Being 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  soundness  of  his  views,  he  could  not  be  induced  to 
proclaim  that  slavery  was  in  harmony  with  republican  principles.  Lincoln  was 
defeated  in  the  Senatorial  contest,  but  in  the  year  1860  he  was  nominated  by  the 
Republican  party  as  their  candidate  for  President  of  the  United  States.  From  this 
time  a  new  era  began;  but  his  expected  elevation  by  no  means  made  him  proud, 


214  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

but,  on  the  contrary,  he  appreciated  the  responsibility  placed  upon  him.  Ho  was 
•careful  and  moderate,  devoting  himself  entirely  to  the  various  duties  resting  upon 
Mm.  In  his  exterior  and  private  life  he  remained  the  same,  simple  and  cordial. 
•  Visitors  found  in  him  the  same  old,  honest  soul  as  before.  The  door  was  open  for 
everybody,  and  his  hand  extended  to  all  in  friendship  and  sympathy.  Numberless 
are  the  anecdotes  told  of  him  and  his  easy  and  popular  manner  towerd  all.  He 
would  receive  callers  at  the  White  House  in  the  same  cordial  way  as  at  home. 
His  hands  were  always  cheerfully  extended  toward  the  needy  and  unfortunate. 
Shortly  before  his  election,  the  cry  for  secession  became  louder  and  louder.  Slan- 
der and  menace  were  hurled  against  him,  and  all  that  lying  and  meanness  could  do 
to  harm  him  came  into  requisition.  Lincoln  saw  the  storm  brewing,  and  felt  that 
it  would  break  soon  with  the  greatest  fury,  but  he  kept  self-control.  No  word  of 
vindictiveness  was  spoken.  Solid  he  stood  on  the  platform  of  his  party,  which  he 
had  accepted.  A  cry  of  disappointment  from  the  South,  and  of  joy  in  the  North 
and  "West,  greeted  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United 
States.  • 

The  poor,  simple  backwoodsman  was  elevated  to  the  supreme  office  of  the  coun- 
try. To  the  critics  it  was  a  peculiar  picture  to  see  this  man,  who  hardly  knew 
how  to  place  his  hands  and  feet,  put  in  the  first  position  in  the  land.  It  is  true 
his  hands  were  large,  but  they  remained  clean  to  his  death.  His  feet  were  heavy, 
but,  in  the  race  for  greatness,  they  outran  the  swiftest.  If  personal  appearance 
brought  him  no  admirers,  his  kindness  of  heart  drew  them  by  millions .  The  con- 
spiracies against  his  life,  instigated  by  the  followers  of  Jefferson  Davis,  were  fre- 
quent. Numerous  letters  of  intimidation  arrived,  and  whenever  he  was  warned  to 
take  more  care  of  himself,  he  would  reply  that,  in  case  he  should  be  murdered,  his 
successor  would  finish  what  he  had  begun.  With  his  inauguration,  the  gigantic 
work  of  his  life  commenced.  He  formed  a  Cabinet,  of  which  every  member  was 
destined  to  perform  herculean  work.  Every  department  was  corrupt,  every  officer 
antagonistic  to  the  Government,  and  everything  done  at  the  Executive  Mansion 
was  speedily  betrayed  to  the  South.  To  clean  the  Augean  -stable  was  no  small 
work;  but  it  was  done,  slow  and  sure.  Lincoln's  position  was  not  enviable.  Seven 
Southern  States  in  open  rebellion;  enemies  in  all  Northern  States;  surrounded  by 
spies  and  unscrupulous  politicians;  the  commencement  of  hostilities  daily  ex- 
pected; the  arsenals  and  treasury  empty  and  resources  vague.  But  Old  Abe  had 
the  wisdom  and  courage  to  meet  all  these  discouraging  appearances.  His  conser- 
vative policy  did  not  allow  a  shot  to  be  fired,  in  spite  of  all  these  warlike  prepara- 
tions under  the  very  eye  of  the  United  States  troops.  At  last,  on  April  12,  the 
rebel  general,  Beauregard,  opened  fire  on  Fort  Sumter,  whose  garrison,  nearly 
starved,  and  consequently  helpless  for  defense,  surrendered  the  next  day.  The 
fall  of  Fort  Sumter  finally  aroused  the  patriotism  of  our  people.  The  flag  was  in- 
sulted. A  cry  of  indignation  went  through  the  land.  All  disloyalty  vanished. 
Defense  and  self -protection  were  the  watchwords  of  the  Nation,  and  the  war  be- 
gan, with  all  its  horrors  and  sacrifices,  not  to  end  until  the  stars  and  stripes  proudly 
floated  again,  undisturbed,  over  the  United  States  of  America. 

Lincoln  was  now  at  the  zenith  of  his  glory.  He  who  advanced  from  the  most 
primitive  social  position  to  the  highest  in  the  land;  who,  with  clear  eyes  and  elastic 
step,  was  ready  to  advance  on  the  path  of  national  greatness,  nearer  the  sun  of 
glory,  who  shed  her  blended  rays  above,  while  the  admiring  masses  under  him  fol- 
lowed with  keenest  interest  the  eagle's  path.  The  confidence  in  him  grew  to  be 
unlimited,  and  he  was  almost  idolized  when  he  issued  his  renowned  Emancipation 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  215 

Proclamation,  September  22,  1862.  In  1864,  he  was  again  elected  President,  with 
increased  majority.  Terrible  was  the  news  of  his  assassination  to  the  American 
people,  and  of  the  conspiracy  against  all  the  heads  of  the  different  departments. 
All  parties  arose,  as  one  man,  and  never  was  a  nation  more  united  in  condemnation 
of  the  cowardly  act  committed  by  the  assassin  than  the  American  people  when 
they  heard  of  the  crime.  This  inspired  unity,  this  national  indignation  and  grief 
was  grand — sublime!  The  funeral  ceremonies  on  the  route  to  Springfield  were  one 
mourning  ovation.  No  more  sincere  and  devoted  mourning  for  one  of  such  high 
station  can  be  imagined.  No  emperor  could  have  ordered  funeral  obsequies  for 
•one  of  his  family  more  grand  and  imposing  than  the  people  gave  to  their  lost 
leader. 

Honest  Old  Abe  died  poor — as  poor  as  he  was  when  he  entered  the  White  House. 
Not  all  the  money  the  world  produced  could  buy  from  him  the  honor  and  honesty 
of  his  name,  or  any  particle  of  his  honest  convictions.  Lincoln  was  not  brilliant ; 
he  had  none  of  those  peculiarities  that  make  men  great  generally ;  but  he  had 
numberless  virtues  which  brought  him  nearer  the  hearts  of  the  people.  There  was 
no  haughtiness  nor  overbearing  in  him.  Simple  and  accessible  as  he  was  in  the 
log  cabin,  so  he  remained  at  the  Executive  Mansion  of  the  Nation;  and  yet  he  un- 
derstood, better  than  anybody  else,  how  to  keep  imposters  and  intruders  off  his 
hands.  No  fanatical  idealism,  no  romantic  sentimentality  irritated  his  clear  mind 
and  sound  judgment,  yet  the  deep,  poetical  aspirations  interwoven  with  his  ora- 
tions gave  proof  of  the  ideal  imagination  and  the  unlimited  love  for  all  that  is  good 
and  beautiful.  But  his  aspirations  seemed  only  to  serve  him  to  adorn  and  enliven 
Ms  subjects.  His  exemplary  explicitness;  his  natural,  artless  eloquence,  sparkling 
with  wit  and  humor,  and  a  good-natured  discretion,  always  gave  him  decided  ad- 
vantage over  more  brilliant  and  violent  antagonists. 

No  other  man  knew  the  people  and  understood  them  better  than  he  did,  being 
himself  a  representative  of  the  purest  type  of  the  Anglo-American.  A  genuine, 
progressive  man,  steady  and  rational,  unimpenetrable  love  for  freedom,  with  full 
regard  for  existing  laws,  he  presented  in  all  his  actions  the  clearest  comprehension 
of  the  natural  foundation  for  social  progress.  Simple  as  his  exterior  was,  skill, 
genius  and  intelligence  had  drawn  unmistakable  lines  to  his  brow.  His  deep  eyes 
sparkled  with  sympathy  and  kindness,  and  his  mouth  indicated  strong  character 
and  will  power.  The  expression  of  his  face  was  that  of  a  man  who  had  struggled, 
suffered  and  fought,  who  conquered  the  past  and  was  ready  to  face  the  future.  He 
loved  the  people;  his  heart  was  with  the  soldier,  who,  in  turn,  idolized  him  who 
•could  shed  bitter  tears  for  their  crippled  and  wounded  comrades.  His  morality, 
pure  as  a  child's,  his  untiring  working  power,  his  conservative  discrimination,  and 
his  just  regard  for  the  expressed  will  of  the  people,  stamp  him  the  greatest  and 
best  man  of  the  country.  Whatever  he  was  reproached  for  during  his  life,  how 
severely  he  often  was  blamed,  never  have  the  results  shown  a  mistake  in  his  actions. 
He  also  had  his  traducers,  who,  through  envy,  charged  him  with  being  tyranical, 
because  he  would  frequently  make  arrangements,  and  give  commands  of  great  im- 
portance without  consulting  his  cabinet;  but,  in  such  cases,  he  invariably  followed 
the  dictates  of  his  large  and  generous  heart.  He  would  not  overburden  anybodv 
with  responsibilities,  while  he  divided  honors  liberally  and  cheerfully  with  his  co- 
laborers.  Such  was  this  plain  man.  His  tragic  death  sanctified  his  great  name, 
and  this  grassy  hill  turns  every  shadow  of  envy  from  the  one  who  slumbers 
beneath  it.  We  will  cherish  his  memory  for  all  time  to  come.  He  was  the 


216  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

liberator  of  four  millions  of  people  from  the  accursed  bonds  of  slavery.  He  was- 
the  savior  of  his  Nation.  He  died  for  his  country.  Honors,  thousands  of  honora 
forever  to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

General  and  Senator  John  A.  Logan,  on  being  introduced, 
delivered  the  following 

ADDRESS  : 

On  the  12th  day  of  February,  seventy-six  years  ago,  in  the  midst  of  a  hardy 
pioneer  people  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  a  son  called  Abraham  was  born  unto 
Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln.  A  few  years  later,  this  son  is  found  with  his  parents 
in  Indiana,  where  he  labored  at  farm  work  in  assisting  his  father.  There  was 
no  opportunity  offered  him  for  receiving  an  education.  Under  the  guidance  of  his 
mother,  however,  he  was  taught  to  read  and  write.  He  was  of  studious  habits 
and  carefully  read  all  the  books  he  could  borrow  from  the  neighbors. 

"  All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be,"  he  said,  "I  owe  to  my  angel  mother."  In  his 
twenty-first  year,  he  is  located  in  Illinois,  doing  manual  labor,  though  at  times, 
when  he  could  do  so,  he  was  always  found,  book  in  hand,  storing  his  mind  with 
useful  knowledge.  He  was  a  constant  reader  of  the  Bible,  as  well  as  Shakespeare's 
works,  and  from  these  acquired  a  better  understanding  of  human  action  and  that 
which  influences  the  minds  of  men  than  all  those  who  criticized  him  as  "  an  un- 
educated man"  ever  had  capacity  to  understand.  He  served  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  afterwards  several  years  in  our  State  Legislature,  and  one  term  in  Congress. 
Yet,  until  1858,  when  he  joined  in  debate  with  the  lamented  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
nothing  seemed  to  afford  the  opportunity  for  him  to  prove  to  the  country  his  great 
ability  as  a  lawyer,  statesman  and  debater,  as  well  as  a  man  of  thought,  research 
and  great  power  of  analysis. 

In  that  great  debate,  he  displayed  such  wonderful  ability  as  to  at  once  give  him 
a  national  reputation.  His  great  mind  seemed  to  unfold  to  his  auditors  danger 
after  danger  that  then  menaced  our  beloved  country.  He  so  held  the  mirror  before 
the  people  that  they  could  plainly  see  the  trouble  which  must  come  in  the  future, 
if  the  then  policy  should  be  persisted  in.  He  foreshadowed  disaster  and  suggested 
the  way  to  avoid  it.  He  exhibited  clearly  to  the  people  that  if  the  destruction  of 
the  Union  must  come,  we  ourselves  must  be  the  author  and  finisher.  His  argu- 
ments were  convincing,  his  deductions  and  logic  were  irresistible. 

In  all  his  speeches,  his  basis  was  right  against  wrong.  He  convinced  all  who 
heard  him  that  he  was  a  man  of  generous  impulses  and  great  kindness  of  heart. 
He  seemed  to  feel  the  wrongs  of  all  down-trodden  and  oppressed  humanity  as  his 
own.  The  "impression  left  upon  his  hearers  was  that  he  had  dedicated  himself  to 
a  work  in  their  behalf. 

When  elected  President  of  the  United  States,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that 
office  "  with  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,"  and  although  the  circum- 
stances were  of  the  most  trying  character  that  ever  surrounded  any  man  in  under- 
taking to  administer  the  affairs  of  a  Nation,  yet  he  grasped  a  firm  hold  of  the 
helm  of  the  ship  of  state,  and  moved  on  calmly  and  coolly  in  the  performance  of 
the  arduous  duties  assigned  him. 

He  met  each  condition  of  things  as  presented  to  him;  his  great  mind  took  in 
every  situation  as  it  was  developed;  he  proved  himself  equal  to  any  and  all  emer- 
gencies; and,  while  our  country  was  passing  through  the  severest  ordeal,  he  "kept 
pace  with  the  advancing  sentiments  of  the  people,  neither  going  ahead  nor  lag- 
ging behind,  always  taking  advantage  of  the  proper  moment  to  do  the  right  thing, 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  217 

as  was  exemplified  by  his  proclamation  of  emancipation,  giving  freedom  to  an 
oppressed  race.  He  met  all  questions  at  an  opportune  moment,  and  seemed  ever 
full  of  hope  as  well  as  confident  of  the  ultimate  success  and  complete  restoration 
of  the  Union. 

Twenty  years  ago  to-day,  early  in  his  second  term  as  President,  and  just  as  bi& 
proud  anticipations  and  fondest  hopes  were  being  realized,  he  fell  at  the  hands  of 
an  assassin,  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  human  free'dom.  As  the  tallest  oak  in  the 
forest  falls,  causing  the  earth  to  tremble  at  the  shock,  so  his  fall  caused  the  Nation 
to  tremble;  stalwart  men  cried  aloud  and  wept;  women  wrung  their  hands  and  ap- 
pealed to  Heaven  to  know  why  this  great  wrong  should  have  been  permitted.  This 
people  mourned  and  would  not  be  comforted;  all  civilized  countries  were  saddened; 
a  deep  gloom  covered  the  whole  land;  and  in  grief  and  sorrow  we  mourn  him  still. 

In  the  life  of  this  man  there  is  a  lesson  that  ought  to  be  taught  the  present  and 
future  generations,  which  would  be  of  more  value  than  the  gold  that  glistens. 

Coming  from  the  lower  walks  of  life,  without  any  of  the  advantages  now  within 
reach  of  all,  he  struggled  through  poverty  along  the  nigged  pathway  of  life,  over- 
coming all  obstacles  that  opposed,  until  he  attained  the  highest  position  amomg^ 
men.  His  great  heart  and  mind  were  directed  on  the  line  of  doing  good  to  his  fel- 
low-man. 

Entirely  absorbed  by  this  thought  in  favor  of  struggling  humanity,  he  had  no- 
time  to  devote  to  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  The  benefits  showered  upon  op- 
pressed man,  by  his  great  ability  and  kind  heart,  by  far  outreached  those  which 
could  have  been  accomplished  by  the  riches  of  a  Croesus. 

Wealth  revels  behind,  while  poverty  follows  us  to  the  grave,  but  the  wealth  that 
leaves  its  lasting  impress  upon  mankind  is  that  store  of  kindness  which  fills  the- 
human  breast,  and  the  great  resources  of  a  giant  intellect,  whose  thoughts  and 
good  works  live  on  through  time.  "So  let  it  be  "with  Abraham  Lincoln.  He- 
ascended  to  the  topmost  round  of  fame's  ladder,  and  from  thence  stepped  into  the 
mansion  on  high  prepared  for  the  good  and  true. 

If  we  could  but  see  him  as  his  sainted  spirit  stands  to-day,  not  in  the  blood- 
besmeared  temple  of  human  bondage,  but  radiant  with  the  light  of  human  liberty 
and  the  glory  of  God  playing  around  him,  with  shattered  fetters  and  broken  chains 
at  his  feet,  we  would  behold  one  of  the  noblest  spirits  that  ever  passed  through 
the  pearly  gates  of  the  New  Jerusalem  into  the  presence  of  the  great  white  throne 
of  our  Heavenly  Father. 

Gen.  Win.  Tecumseh  Sherman  was  not  on  the  programme, 
because  it  was  not  certainly  known  that  he  would  be  present, 
but,  in  response  to  repeated  calls,  he  made  the  following  ex- 
tempore 

ADDRESS: 

.  COMRADES  AND  FRIENDS:  I  am  here  to-day  as  one  of  a  delegation  from  your 
neighboring  State  of  Missouri  to  participate  with  you  in  these  exercises,  both  of  a 
sacred  and  patriotic  character.  We  come  to  manifest  our  love  and  respect  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  to  lay  a  simple  tribute,  our  simple  chaplet,  upon  his  tomb, 
and,*uutil  I  got  upon  this  stage,  I  had  not  the  least  intention  of  saying  one  word  ; 
but  I  have  been  requested  to  speak  by  my  friends  from  Missouri,  and,  therefore,  I 

—14 


218  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

speak  in  their  name.  Nothing  that  I  can  say  can  add  one  particle  of  fame  to  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  He,  himself,  in  life,  did  his  work  nobly,  and  with  his  own  hands 
penned  his  name  high  upon  the  temple  of  fame,  where  it  stands  to-day  in  splen- 
dor, seen  by  all  men,  and  becoming  brighter  and  brighter  each  year,  as  the  mists 
of  passion  are  .dispelled  by  time. 

Since  the  days  of  Demosthenes,  no  man  has  spoken  mere  eloquently  than  he 
spoke  at  the  battlefield  of ,  Gettysburg.  Since  Washington  spoke  of  his  favorite 
States,  no  man  has  spoken  more  kindly  than  Abraham  Lincoln  at  his  first  inaugu- 
ration. Within  the  last  few  days,  I  have  received  from  Washington  a  fac-simile  of 
the  original  letter  written  by  Mr.  Seward  to  Charles  Francis  Adams,  our  minister 
to  London,  which  had  been  overhauled  by  President  Lincoln  within  a  few  months 
of  his  incoming  administration.  A  word  erased  here,  and  a  paragraph  crossed 
out  there,  an  insertion  of  a  word  where  needed — every  one  shows  that  no  man  was 
his  superior  in  the  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  and  that  he  was  a  great 
statesman  and  a  great  man.  He  was  such  when  he  lived  with  you  here  as  a  civil 
citizen,  reared  in  your  town  of  Springfield.  You,  young  men,  who  have  never  seen 
hii^,  have  heard  your  fathers  speak  of  this  beloved  hero. 

There  are  some  gray  heads  on  this  stand  who  knew  him  well.  You  have  in  your 
charge  a  sacred  trust.  You  are  the  custodians  of  his  grave.  All  that  remains  of 
him  now  are  in  your  keeping.  We  come  here  to  worship  at  his  shrine,  and  will 
return  to  our  homes  carrying  with  us  the  influences  that  we  receive  here.  He 
stands  now  at  the  pinnacle  of  fame.  We  can  heed  his  counsels  and  live  up  to  his 
direction,  and  dedicate  our  own  lives  to  the  principles  which  brought  his  death,  for 
our  work  is  not  yet  finished.  Let  us  go  forth  from  this  place  to  our  callings  and 
missions,  carrying  influences  such  as  he  did  wherever  he  went.  Let  us  try  to  act 
as  he  did,  for  the  good  of  mankind  and  the  everlasting  glory  of  our  country.  I 
thank  you. 

Mr.  E.  A.  Becker,  Corresponding  Secretary,  read  letters  re- 
ceived from  prominent  persons,  in  the  following  order: 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  21, 1885. — My  Dear  Sir:  The 
President  is  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  13th  instant,  inviting  him,  on  behalf  of 
the  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge,  to  visit  Springfield  on  the  loth  of  April, 
for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  anniversary  memorial  services  of  the  death  of 
President  Lincoln. 

It  would  be  gratifying  to  the  President  to  be  able  to  be  present  on  the  occasion  re- 
ferred to,  but  he  regrets  that  his  official  engagements,  which  require  his  presence 
in  Washington  at  the  time  named,  will  prevent  his  participation  in  the  ceremonies 
of  the  day. 

Expressing  his  thanks  for  the  courtesy  of  the  invitation,  I  am,  very  truly  yours, 

DANIEL  S.  LAMONT,  Private  Secretary. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  21.  Emll  A.  Becker,  Dear  Sir:  I  have  your  letter 
•of  the  3d  instant,  inviting  me  to  be  present  at  the  memorial  services  to  commem- 
orate the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  death  of  President  Lincoln,  and  bid  you  to 
express  to  the  committee  my  appreciation  of  their  courtesy  in  inviting  me,  and  of 
my  regret  that  my  engagements  make  it  impossible  for  me  to  be  in  Springfield  on 
the  15th  of  April.  Very  truly  yours,  CHESTEK  A. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  219 

FKEMONT,  0.,  April  11, 1885. — My  Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  inviting  me  to  attend  the 
memorial  services  on  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
at  Springfield,  111.,  is  before  me.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  martyr  of  a  stainless 
cause.  It  was  the  cause  of  America,  the  cause  of  the  future;  it  was  more — it  was, 
indeed,  the  cause  of  all  mankind.  The  triumph  of  this  cause,  so  good  and  so 
great,  was  due,  under  Providence,  more  largely  to  Lincoln  than  any  other  man.  He 
was  the  embodiment  of  its  spirit,  its  principles  and  its  purposes.  He  was  the 
truest  representative  and  the  highest  type  of  the  plain  people,  whose  courage,  pa- 
tience, fortitude  and  faith,  in  the  army  and  at  home,  won  the  victory.  With  each  . 
passing  year,  the  unmeasured  greatness  and  the  priceless  value  of  the  work,  of 
which  he  was  the  leader,  become  more  clear.  The  twentieth  anniversary  of  the 
appalling  event  which  closed  that  momentous  struggle,  the  great  American  con- 
flict, finds  the  world  able  to  see  Lincoln  and  his  deeds  with  a  larger  and  wider 
appreciation  than  ever  before.  Eveiy  anniversary,  to  the  end  of  time,  of  the  event 
you  now  commemorate,  will  surely  bring  to  Lincoln,  to  his  character,  and  to  the 
results  of  his  life,  the  increased  esteem,  admiration  and  gratitude  of  all  civilized 
men.  t 

Regretting  that  I  cannot  take  part  with  you  in  the  celebration,  I  remain,  sin- 
cerely, R.  B.  HATES. 

EMU.  A.  BECKEB,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  1,  1885.  Emil  A.  Seeker,  Esq.,  Dear  Sir:  I  thank 
you  for  advising  me  of  the  memorial  exercises  proposed  to  be  held  by  your  Asso- 
ciation on  the  anniversary  of  my  father's  death.  I  am  not  certain  that  I  will  be  at 
home  in  Illinois  at  that  time,  and  I  can,  therefore,  only  express  my  grateful  appre- 
ciation of  the  feelings  which  cause  you  to  do  my  father's  memory  this  exceptional 
honor.  Believe  me  sincerely  yours,  ROBT.  T.  LINCOLN. 

Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Francis  Smith,  the  venerable  and  illus- 
trious author  of  our  National  hymn,  "America,"  (see  page 
194,)  was  unexpectedly  present.  He  was  then  in  his  seventy- 
seventh  year.  The  patriotic  hymn  which  he  had  written  fifty- 
three  years  before,  had  been  sung  in  his  hearing,  during  his 
missionary  travels  on  nearly  all  sides  of  the  earth.  By  invi- 
tation, he  recited  this  hymn,  after  which  it  was  sung  by  the 
Grand  Chorus,  thus  closing  the  exercises  at  the  State  Capitol. 
The  singing  of  America  was  highly  appropriate,  and  served 
-well  in  place  of  a  benediction. 

Dr.  Smith  had  written  a  poem,  expecting  it  to  be  read  that 
day  by  his  friend  Mrs.  Eoby.  Before  that  was  known,  the 
programme  was  already  too  full,  especially  as  every  move- 
ment had  to  be  made  through  rain  and  mud.  He  then  wrote 
the  following  dedication,  which  it  is  thought  proper  to  insert , 
here,  preceding  the  poem: 


220  THE  LINCOLN  GUAR.D  OF  HONOR. 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN — A  POEM  FOR  THE  OCCASION. 

To  MKS.  LELIA  P.  BOBY,  the  noble,  generous  woman,  and  the  soldiers'  true- 
hearted  friend,  this  poem,  written  for  the  celebration  of  April  15, 1885,  is  respect- 
fully and  heartily  dedicated  by  the  author.  S.  F.  SMITH. 

Springfield,  111.,  April  15, 1885. 

I. 

Heroic  statesman,  hail! 

Thy  honored  name 
With  instrument  and  song  we  laud, 

And  poets'  lays ; 
Blow,  every  mountain  top,  and  sheltered  vale, 

And  rock  and  stream — 
And  lisping  tongue  of  infancy,  and  age. 

And  manhood's  prime  and  woman's  love, . 

Combine,  that  honored  name  to  praise. 

n. 

As  to  Anchises'  tomb. 
With  reverent  love,  pious  2Eneas  came, 

Intent,  with  festal  rites, 

To  crown  his  father's  fame ; 
So  we,  with  grateful  reverence,  come  to  pay 
This  loving  tribute  at  the  sacred  shrine 

Where  sleeps  the  patriot  bold, 

The  statesman  wise,  the  martyr  prince, 

The  peerless  man, 
And  on  this  shrine  our  fragrant  garlands  lay. 

in. 

Like  the  wild  eagle's  flight, 
When  from  his  rocky  height, 

Down  on  the  plain  he  swoops,  free  as  the  air- 
Born  with  a  soul  of  fire, 
Born  to  be  free, 

Patient  in  toil,  and  danger,  and  alarm, 

He  ventured  all  for  love  of  liberty, 

And  helped  the  lowly  in  that  bliss  to  share. 

IV. 

Grandly  he  loved  and  lived. 
Not  his  own  age  alone 

Bears  the  proud  impress  of  his  sovereign  mind; 
Down  the  long  march  of  history, 
Ages  and  men  shall  see 
What  one  great  soul  can  be, 
What  one  great  soul  can  do 
To  make  a  Nation  true — 

To  raise  the  weak, 

The  lost  to  seek, 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  221 

To  be  a  ruler  and  a  father,  too, 

No  scheming  tool, 

No  slave  to  godless  rule, . 
Gracious,  efficient,  meek,  sublime,  refined. 

v. 

Ambitious — not  of  wealth, 
Nor  power,  nor  place, 
His  aim,  a  nobler  race; 
His  title  eminent — an  honest  man ; 
*  His,  to  lift  up  the  rude ; 
His,  to  be  great  and  good, 

And  good  as  great ; 
:  His,  to  stem  error's  flood — 
His,  but  to  help  and  bless; 
His,  to  work  righteousness— 
And  save  the  State. 

VI. 

Brave,  self-reliant,  wise,  ' 

Calm  in  emergencies, 
Steady,  alike,  to  wait,  and  prompt  to  move; 

In  counsel,  great  and  safe, 
Prudent  to  plan. 

Righteous  to  deal  with  sin, 

Prone,  less  to  force  than  win, 
Strong  in  his  own  stern  will,  and  strong  in  God, 

Conquering,  alone  to  bless — 
A  loving  man. 

VII. 

Firm,  but  yet  merciful, 

In  pity  bountiful, 

Calmly  considerate,  serenely  just ; 
Nobly  forgiving  to  the  fallen  foe, 
He,  the  meek  sufferer  from  oppression's  blow, 

Repaying  ill  with  good, 

E'en  as  the  sandal  wood 
Bathes  with  rare  perfume  the  sharp  axe  that  smites; 

Unflinching  for  the  right, 
Whate'er  might  come, 
And,  until  death, 
Fervent,  decided,  faithful  to  his  trust. 

VIII. 

Great  souls  can  never  die — • 
Death  and  decay's  damp  fingers 
"Waste  but  the  mortal; 
A  nobler  life  spreads  its  far  vista  wide.. 
Beyond  death's  portal; 
Like  an  unfading  light 
The  life  work  lingers; 


222  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

The  hero  dies;   statesman  and  soldier  falls ; 

The  Nation  finds  new  life, 
And  prosperous  years,  and  wealth,  and  peace; 

And  hearts  at  rest,  and  grander  aims, 

And  righteousness, 

And  souls  that  dare  to  be 

Just  as  God  made  them — free ; 
And  he  who  falls,  crushed  in  the  bitter  strife, 
Lives,  magnified,  exalted,  ever  lives; 

His  work  bears  fruit  immortal. 

IX. 

So  the  great  sun,  majestic,  plows  his  way 
Through  clouds,  and  storms,  and  dim  eclipse, 

And  winter's  cold,  and  summer's  heat; 

And  nightly  dips 

His  flaming  disc  in  the  broad  western  sea, 
But  scatters  light  and  pleasure  all  the  day ; 

Setting,  he  leaves  the  world 
Richer  and  better  for  his  light  and  love ; 

Warmer,  more  fertile,  more  benign; 
Sets  but  to  rise,  on  other  lands,  and  shine 

Forever,  in  the  galaxy  divine. 

As  stated  in  an  earlier  part  of  this  article,  preparations 
were  commenced  at  the  Monument,  for  decorating  on  a  magni- 
ficent scale,  but  the  torrents  of  rain  caused  everything  on  the 
outside  to  be  left  in  an  unfinished  condition.  The  floral  offer- 
ings filled  the  catacomb  to  overflowing.  They  were  arranged 
in  the  most  artistic  manner  by  the  committee  of  ladies,  con- 
sisting of  Mrs.  John  A.  Nafevv,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Stadden,  Mrs.  E. 
K.  Roberts,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Higgins,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Bently,  and  Misses 
Josephine  P.  Cleveland,  Mamie  Nafew  and  Blanche  Bentley. 

On  approaching  the  entrance  to  the  catacomb  the  visitor 
was  met  by  such  a  volume  of  perfume  from  the  flowers  as  to 
cause  one  to  feel  that  the  olfactories  constituted  the  principle 
organs  of  sense.  This  feeling  was  heightened  by  the  exquisite 
scent  from  the  attar  of  roses  sprinkled  on  some  of  the  earth 
from  the  grave  of  Gen.  E.  D.  Baker,  in  Lone  Mountain  Ceme- 
tery, at  San  Francisco.  The  earth  was  brought  by  Gen. 
Edwin  A.  Sherman,  of  Oakland,  California,  who  made  the  pil- 
grimage, in  order  to  be  at  the  tomb  of  Lincoln,  on  the 
twentieth  anniversary  of  his  death,  and  to  lay  this  tribute  of 
affection  on  his  sarcophagus. 

The  floral  tributes  from  Oakland  Park,  California,  Chicago, 
St.  Louis,  Quincy,  Rockford,  Peoria,  Ottawa  and  smaller- 


MABrraiFKEsuar 


WHOSE  LIFE  WAS  lAOUFICEB 

IB  THE  nnmriAin  IXICWTIOH 


THE  PRESERVATIOH  OF  THE  UNION 

THE  A?oiiTioiroF  HUMAN  slAVEift 


THIS  MEMORIAL  WAS   DEDICATED 
etx  THE   SOW\  ANNIVERSARY 

OF  HIS  DEATH. 
At  A  TOKEN  OP  UNDYING  LOVE 
AND     REVERENCE:  BY  THE 
NORTH  A«W««  CERMAM  TURKEn  NND 

J.TOENSFELDT 


0.  IAMBERCER 
E.CIESLMtNH. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  TURNER  BUND- 


(SEE  PAGE  223.) 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  223 

cities,  were  bewildering  in  their  numbers,  beauty  and  fragrance. 
To  describe  them  all  and  name  the  parties  who  sent  them 
would  occupy  several  pages  of  this  book.  The  schools  in 
Springfield  nearly  all  sent  flowers.  We  will  have  to  be  content 
with  a  drscription  of  one  only,  that  from  the  High  School. 
It  was  a  ladder  of  green,  with  a  calla  lily  on  each  round,  and 
this  stanza  attached  to  it: 

-Tor  the  stars  in  our  country's  banner  grow  dim, 
Let  us  weep  in  our  sadness,  but  weep  not  for  him ; 
'Not  for  him  who  has  died  full  of  honor  and  years, 
Not  for  him  who  in  going  leaves  millions  in  tears, 
Not  for  him  who  has  climbed  Fame's  ladder  so  high, 
From  the  round  at  the  top  he  has  stepped  to  the  sky." 

The  Turners  of  St.  Louis,  as  a  memento  of  their  visit  and 
of  the  occasion,  prepared  an  elaborate 

OAKEN  TABLET, 

Five  feet  across  and  seven  and  a  half  feet  high.  It  consists 
of  base,  columns  and  crown,  is  of  heavy  carved  oak  of  gothic 
design.  The  carving  is  in  wreaths  and  drapery,  an  eagle  in 
bas  relief  on  the  crown  and  an  owl  on  the  base.  Across  the 
upper  part,  just  beneath  the  eagle  is  the  inscription  in  letters 
raised  in  the  wood, 

"PRO  PATRIA  MORTUUS." 

The  centre  is  of  white  satin,  about  three  by  four  feet,  all 
under  glass,  bears  the  following  inscription  in  gold  and  black 
lettering : 

In  Honor  of  our  beloved  Martyr  President 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 

"Whose  life  was  sacrificed  in  the  triumphant  execution  of  our  grand  principles, — 
the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  the  abolition  of  human  slavery.  This  memorial 
is  dedicated  on  the  Twentieth  anniversary  of  his  death,  as  a  token  of  undying 
love  and  reverence,  by  the  North  American  German  Turner  Bund. 

APKIL  15, 1885.  JOHN  TOENSFELDT,  President. 

H.  COLLMEB,  Secretary. 


224  THE  LINCOLN  GUAKD  OF  HONOR. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  Of  GERMAN  TURNERS. 

F.  P.  Becker,  G.  Bamberger, 

J.  J.  Linck,  E.  Gieslmann, 

E.  Eschmann,  A.  L.  Bergfeld, 

E.  F.  Weigel,  H.  W.  Ocker, 
J.  B.  Gandolfo,  E.  A.  Becker, 
D.  Denstrow,  A.  J.  Smith, 
J.  Nolte,  A.  Kleinecke,, 

F.  Pflsterer.  C.  Rieger, 

The  inscription,  with  the  names  of  officers  and  executive 
committee,  is  surrounded  by  wreaths  of  laurel,  each  with  a 
bow  of  white  ribbon  bordered  with  black,  and  the  name  of 
each  organization  represented,  with  the  initials,  T.  B.,  Turner 
Bund,  or  Union,  as  follows: 

New  York  T.  B.  Minnesota  T.  B. 

Chicago  T.  B.  Ohio  T.  B. 

Central  Illinois  T.  B.  West  New  York  T.  B. 

Rocky  Mountain  T.  B.  Lake  Erie  T.  B. 

Connecticut  T.  B.  Central  New  York  T.  B. 

Upper  Mississippi  T.  B.  Missouri  Valley  T.  B. 

New  England  T.  B.  Upper  Missouri  Valley  T.  B. 

New  Orleans  T.  B.  Northwestern  T.  B. 

Indiana  T.  B.  Pittsburg  T.  B. 

Wisconsin  T.  B.  South  Atlantic  T.  B. 

Southeastern  T.  B.  Central  Michigan  T.  B. 

Long  Island  T.  B.  Pacific  T.  B. 

New  Jersey  T.  B.  Philadelphia  T.  B. 
St.  Louis  T.  B. 

In  all  twenty-seven  districts,  bunds  or  unions  are  repre- 
sented, constituting  the  wrhole  North  American  Turner  Bund. 

During  the  services  at  the  State  House  it  stood  on  a  float, 
on  trucks,  in  the  street  in  order  to  give  as  many  as  possible 
an  opportunity  to  see  it.  It  was  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  when  the  tablet  reached  the  monument,  having 
been  hauled  through  rain  and  mud.  Its  weight  is  about  five 
hundred  pounds.  It  was  first  carried  into  the  catacomb,  and 
placed,  by  the  side  of  the  sarcophagus,  by  the  Turners,  all  of 
whom  were  Veteran  Union  Soldiers.  It  was  there  dedicated 
in  a  neat  little  address  by  Mr.  John  Toensfeldt,  of  St.  Louis, 
President  of  the  Union.  The  following  is  Mr.  Toenfeldt's 
address : 

When  patriotism  was  put  to  the  test, -when  the  welfare  and  preservation  of  our 
country  called  for  a  sacrifice,  be  it  of  wealth,  or  of  life,  then  it  wras  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Union,  which  is  called  Turnerbund,  and  in  whose  name  I  am  to  dedi- 
cate this  memorial,  were  among  the  first  to  answer  the  country's  call.  Of  their 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  225 

ranks  many  did  not  return.  They  died  for  the  same  cause  for  which  their  beloved 
leader,  whose  memory  we  are  celebrating  to-day,  was  called  away.  It  is  a  laud- 
able idea  of  the  survivors  to  set  a  token  of  their  love  and  reverence  for  him  in 
whom  so  great  principles  were  personified,  to  remind  the  young  who  grow  up  in  a 
time  that  seems  comparatively  bare  of  high  patriotism  and  great  deeds,  that  there 
were  men  who  loved  their  country  more  than  their  lives,  and  that  such  men  are 
examples  to  be  followed  by  the  rising  generations.  From  the  boundaries  of  Canada 
to  the  Gulf,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  tokens  of  love  and  admiration  of 
our  martyr  President  have  been  sent  by  all  the  districts  of  our  Union  :  laurel 
wreaths  to  crown  the  memory  of  the  dead  hero,  and  to  testify  our  firm  adherence 
to  the  principles  that  formed  his  life's  struggle.  The  oak,  with  its  heart,  is  an 
emblem  of  strength  and  perpetuity.  May  the  cause  for  which  Lincoln  stood, 
struggled  and  died,  be  as  strong  as  the  oak  at  all  times." 

The  tablet  was  at  once  taken  in  charge  by  the  secretary 
of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  who,  as  custodian  of  the 
monument,  had  it  removed  the  next  day  to  Memorial  Hall, 
and  a  fine  black  walnut  base  fourteen  inches  high,  put  under 
it,  in  order  to  have  it  stand  more  firmly  and  that  it  might 
be  sufficiently  elevated  to  be  seen  to  better  advantage.  In 
honoring  Lincoln,  the  Germans  have  honored  themselves,  in 
placing  this  beautiful  memento  of  their  visit,  where  it  is 
hoped  that  it  will  be  seen  and  appreciated  by  a  long  line  of 
pilgrims  to  this  shrine  of  patriotism. 


226  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


DIVISION  THIRTEENTH 

EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-SIX. 


Seventh  Annual  Meeting — Re-Election  of  Officers— Seventh  Lincoln  Memorial 
Day — Programme— Memorial  Services  at  Grand  Army  Hall — Rain — Monument 
over  the  Grave  of  Lincoln's  Father. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUABD  or  HONOR, 

REVERE  HOUSE, 
Friday,  Feb.  12,  1886,  7:30  o'clock  P.  M. 

SEVENTH  ANNUAL  MEETING. 

Present — Dana,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson  and  Conkling. 

Absent-— Reece,  Wiggins,  Chapin  and  McNeill. 

Treasurer  Lindley  made  his  report,  that  there  had  been 
neither  receipts  nor  expenditures  since  our  last  annual  meet- 
ing, and  that  there  was  consequently  the  same  amount  in 
the  treasury  that  there  was  then,  $5.05.  This  was  brought 
about  by  our  having  been  relieved  of  any  expense,  as  a  so- 
ciety, on  the  last  Lincoln  Memorial  Day,  the  citizens  of 
Springfield  and  the  Singing  and  Turner  Societies  having  de- 
frayed the  expenses,  to  which  we  contributed  as  citizens.  On 
motion,  it  was  resolved  that  the  nine  members  comprising 
The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  be,  and  they  are  hereby,  re- 
elected  a  Board  of  directors,  to  serve  one  year  from  this  date, 
or  until  their  successors  are  chosen. 

The  Board  of  Directors  proceeded  to  organize,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  election  of — 

G.  S.  Dana,  President; 

J.  N.  Reece,  Vice-President; 

J.  C.  Power,  Secretary; 

J.  P.  Lindley,  Treasurer, 

of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  for  one  year  from  this  date,. 
or  until  their  successors  are  chosen. 

Adjourned,  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  President. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  227 

OUR  SEVENTH  LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

KEVEKE  HOUSE, 
Monday,  April  12,  1886,  7;30  O'Clock  P.  M. 

CALLED    MEETING. 

Present — Dana,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Conkling  and  Wig- 
gins. 

Absent — Eeece,  Chapin  and  McNeill. 

Minutes  of  last  meeting  were  read  and  approved. 

Reports  from  all  the  committees  preparing  for  Memorial 
Day  resulted  in  the  following — 


LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  DAY. 

PROGRAMME  OF  THE  SEVENTH  MEMORIAL  SERVICE, 

To  be  held  on  the  Twenty-first  Anniversary  of  the  Death  of 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Services  will  commence  at  half-past  two  o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of  Thursday 
April,  15, 1886,  at  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  under  the  direction  of 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

A  cordial  invitation  is  hereby  extended  to  all  citizens,  and  the  strangers  who  may 

be  sojourning  in  the  city,  to  be  present  and  unite  in  the  services.    If 

the   weather  is  inclement,  the  programme  will  be  carried 

out  at  Grand  Army  Hall,  at  the  same  hour. 

ORDER  OF  EXERCISES. 

PRATER,        •        By  Rev.  Frances  Springer,  D.  D.,  a  retired  Lutheran  Clergyman, 

and  Chaplain  of  Stepenson  Post,  No.  30,  G.  A.  R.,  Springfield. 
SINGING,        •        •        By  the  Apollo  Club,  Fred.  F.  Fisher,  Musical  Director,  with 

fourteen  voices. 

ADDRESS,        ...  Hon.  James  A.  Connolly,  Springfield. 

SINGING,  ...  By  the  Apollo  Club. 

READING,        -        By  James  H.  Rayhill,  Professor  of  Elocution  in  Illinois  College, 

Jacksonville.  An  original  Poem  by  Miss  Ida  Scott  Taylor,  of  Jacksonville,  HI. 
READING,        -        -        By  Mr.  George  H.  Balch,  of  Lerna,  111.,  an  original  poem, 

"  Is  Lincoln  Dead  ?  " 

SINGING,  •  By  the  Apollo  Club. 

READING,         -         By  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  a  member  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 

Honor,  Springfield,  a  selection  from  Lincoln. 

PRAYER  AND  BENEDICTION,        -        By  Rev.  Charles  Austrian,  Minister  of  B'rith 
Sholom,  Hebrew  Temple,  Springfield. 


228  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

» 

:THE  LINCOLN  GUABD  OF  HONOR, 
THUBSDAY,  April  15,  1886,  2:30  o'clock. 

Instead  of  meeting  at  the  monument,  the  falling  rain  made 
it  necessarj7  to  accept  the  alternative  provided  for  in  the 
programme,  and  assemble  at  GRAND  ARMY  HALL,  east  side 
of  Fifth  street,  between  Monroe  and  Adams  streets. 

Present — Dana,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Wiggins  and  Conkling. 

Absent — Our  Vice-President,  Gen.  J.  N.  Reece,  in  command 
of  our  citizen  soldiers  at  East  Saint  Louis,  to  prevent  law- 
lessness by  the  striking  railroad  employes;  Col.  James  F. 
McNeill  was  at  his  home  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa;  Captain  H. 
Chapin  was  at  his  home  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  and  J.  C.  Power, 
Secretary,  was  detained  by  his  duties  at  the  monument  until 
nearly  the  close  of  the  service. 

There  was  also  present  a  fair  audience  of  citizens  and 
strangers,  with  all  who  had  accepted  invitations  to  take  part 
in  the  exercises. 

G.  S.  Dana,  the  President,  as  Master  of  Ceremonies, 
promptly  at  the  time  for  opening  the  service,  introduced  Rev. 
Francis  M.  Springer,  D.  D.,  a  retired  Lutheran  clergyman, 
who  was  an  army  chaplain  during  the  war  to  suppress  the 
rebellion,  and  is  Chaplain  of  Stephenson  Post  No.  30,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  who  offered  the  following  fervent 

INVOCATION  : 

Thou  Infinite  One,  our  Creator ;  Thou  art  revealed  to  the  human  race,  but  to 
none  else,  as  "Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven."  To  Thee,  therefore,  Dear  Father, 
is  our  worshipful  approach  at  this  hour.  To  Thee  is  the  uplifting  of  our  thoughts 
in  thanksgiving  prayer. 

"We  thank  Thee,  O  Lord,  for  the  glance  of  Thine  omniscience,  the  care  of  Thy 
wise  providence,  the  favor  of  Thy  forbearance,  the  condescension  of  Thy  love,  the 
grace  of  Thy  forgiveness,  and  the  assurance  of  everlasting  life  in  Heaven.  We 
thank  Thee  for  country,  this  country,  this  fertile,  varied,  sunny  land  which  Thou 
madest  long  ages  ago,  countless  as  the  stars.  To  Thee  is  due  also  devout  thanks- 
giving for  the  discovery  of  America,  at  that  juncture  of  human  affairs  wherein 
Christian  faith  drew  upon  its  possessor  the  torture,  the  flame  and  the  axe  of  per- 
secution. Hither  didst  Thy  providence  guide  the  frail  fleet  of  Columbus ;  that  in 
generations  soon  coming,  there  might  be  asylum  in  the  wilderness  for  Thy  faithful 
ones  holding  fast  the  doctrines  and  promises  of  Thy  Word. 

With  sincerest  thanks,  0  Lord,  we  recognize  Thy  good  hand  in  raising  up  pru- 
dent, courageous,  honest  men,  true  to  their  fellow-men,  and  true  to  Thee,  who,  at 
sundry  times  and  in  divers  emergencies,  led  the  way  of  human  progress  to  broader, 
purer  and  nobler  attainments.  To  Thee  is  due  the  homage  of  our  worshipful 
recognition  also  for  Washington  and  Lincoln  and  their  noble  associates  and 
helpers. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  229 

And  now,  Heavenly  Father,  we  pray  that  the  nation  born  of  faith  in  Thy  Word, 
may  never  cease  to  be  to  all  the  world  an  encouraging  example  of  government  by 
the  people,  for  the  people.  O  God,  our  prayer  is  that  our  social  and  political 
organization  may  never  be  perverted  to  the  destroying  uses  of  anarchy,  nor  the 
polluting  touch  of  treason.  We  pray  that  equal  rights,  universal  education,  indus- 
trial prosperity,  intellectual  achievement,  moral  purity,  and  loyalty  to  God,  may 
always  continue,  and  increase  among  all  ctesses  of  our  people.  Preserve  us,  O 
Lord,  in  peace  and  firm  union  among  ourselves,  and  peace  with  all  nations.  In  all 
our  differences,  we  invoke  counsel  of  Thee, — that  the  brotherly  inculcations  of  the 
gospel  may  never  cease  to  end  our  clashes  of  interest,  by  just,  honorable  and 
peaceful  arbitration. 

Hear  us,  0  Lord,  in  these  our  thoughts  of  reverent,  thankful  and  suppliant  wor- 
ship, for  the  Eedeemer's  sake.  Amen. 

President  Dana  then  introduced  the  Apollo  Club,  consisting 
of  Fred.  F.  Fisher,  Musical  Director;  first  tenors,  R.  M.  Patte- 
sou,  John  Correia,  John  Fisher,  Charles  Dowe  and  Heiko 
Feldkamp;  second  tenors,  W.  L.  Patteson,  Cass  Epler,  George 
J.  Vieira  and  M.  F.  Wendling;  first  bass,  Arther  W.  Yockner, 
W.  E.  Savage,  Henry  Abells  and  Richard  Payne;  second  bass, 
L.  S.  Miller,  Chas.  F.  Helmle,  Thomas  Bryce  and  Robert 
Tisdale;  accompanist.  Miss  Maud  Thayer. 

The  Club  then  sang  the  Prayer  from  Freischuets,  by  Weber. 

Softy,  softly,  solemn  measure, 
Soar  aloft  to  deepest  azure, 
'  God  adoring  and  imploring, 
Rise  to  heaven,  to  heaven  my  prayer, . 

To  heaven,  my  prayer.  J 

To  Thee  praying,  I  am  kneeling, 
Lord  eternal,  now  appealing, 
Us  to  shelter  from  all  danger ; 
Send,  oh  send,  thy  hosts  of  angels, 

Thy  hosts  of  angels. 

Major  James  A.  Connolly,  of  Springfield,  was  introduced,  and 
delivered  the  following  eloquent 

ORATION  : 

This  memorial  occasion  awakens  memories  too  sad,  too  bitter  to  be  spoken.  The 
event  it  commemorates  came  like  a  funeral  peal  to  mar  the  joyous  tones  of  wedding 
bells — like  a  pall  of  midnight  suddenly  drawn  over  the  bright  face  of  noonday. 
The  tired  legions  rested;  the  arms  were  stacked.  One  flag  was  folded  never  to  be 
unfurled  again  ;  the  other,  garlanded  with  victory,  was  kissed  by  the  glad  air  in 
which  it  waved,  the  emblem  of  a  nation  disenthralled,  saved  —  "the  freeman's 
only  hope  and  home."  The  sounds  of  war  were  hushed  from  the  Potomac  to  the 
Eio  Grande,  and  the  flowers  and  grass  of  early  spring  had  come  to  deck  the  graves 


230  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

of  the  heroic  dead.  The  camps  were  vocal  with  songs  of  gladness,  and  the  weary 
veterans  were  waiting  for  Father  Abraham's  word  to  return  to  their  waiting  homes. 
'  The  joy  of  those  homes  were  boundless,  and  life  took  on  its  brightest  colors  for 
the  wives  and  families  who  for  years  had  been  waiting,  hoping,  praying  for  this 
day  of  deliverance ;  song  and  shout  and  glad  acclaim  were  heard  on  every  hand ; 
men  grasped  each  other  by  the  hand  in  silence,  while  tears  of  joy  rolled  down  their 
faces,  the  bells  rang  out  their  merriest  peals,  business  was  suspended,  and  all 
thoughts  of  the  great  North  were  turned  to  welcome  the  new  found  peace.  But 
suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  scenes  of  joy  and  triumph,  as  a  lightning  flash 
in  a  cloudless  sky,  came  the  fall  of  Lincoln  by  the  assassin's  hand,  and  all  the  joy 
was  turned  to  sadness,  a  sorrow  too  deep  and  bitter  at  first  for  words,  the  nation 
was  struck  dumb,  and  silence  fell  on  all  the  land;  then  came  the  bugle  notes  of  the 
assembly,  and  the  old  battalions  formed  again  in  silence,  the  stacked  arms  were 
seized,  and  mutterings  of  a  vengeance  more  fearful  than  had  ever  stirred  those 
veteran  ranks  before,  now  were  heard  where  the  songs  of  peace  awoke  the  echoes 
but  an  hour  before.  Never  was  an  army  so  tried,  never  a  people  so  rudely  shocked. 

From  the  plain  country  lawyer,  at  the  beginning  of  the  struggle,  regarded  by 
the  world  as  an  accident  of  American  politics,  eclipsed  by  the  matured  reputation 
of  practical  statesmen  who  surrounded  him,  Lincoln  had  gradually,  without  art 
or  artifice,  won  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  at  home  and  the  soldiers  in  the 
field,  the  most  brilliant  statesmen  of  his  day  gradually  paled  before  him,  as  the 
brightest  stars  pale  before  the  rising  sun;  and  even  the  dazzling  brilliancy  of  re- 
nown, which  victory  brought  to  successful  leaders  in  the  field,  made  them  only 
second  to  Lincoln  in  the  esteem  of  all ;  he  had  impressed  himself  alike  upon  the 
head  and  the  heart  not  only  of  his  countrymen  but  of  the  world  ;  the  crude  unwis- 
dom which  he  was  thought  to  have  brought  to  the  administration  of  national 
affairs,  when  submitted  to  the  friction  of  the  times,  like  the  diamond,  was  polished, 
until  it  dazzled  the  doubters,  first  into  silence,  then  into  praise.  Untroubled  by 
ostentatious  dignity  and  unvexed  by  ambition,  the  world  saw  him,  with  equal  ease, 
reach  the  lowest  depths  or  the  greatest  heights  of  humanity,  and  all  his  public 
career  was  so  illuminated  by  a  kind,  genial,  loving  human  nature,  that  the  diplo- 
mats of  Europe,  the  statesmen  of  America,  the  leaders  of  action  everywhere,  as 
well  as  the  masses  of  the  people,  had  come  to  love  him  for  his  kindly  nature.  In 
diplomacy,  a  master;  in  deportment,  an  exemplar;  in  speech,  a  model;  he  had 
come  to  be  a  standard  for  other  men  to  be  measured  by.  The  world  looked  on  in 
wonder  to  see  how  his  human  nature,  unspoiled  by  his  surroundings,  kept  gleams 
of  sunshine  ever  ready  to  break  through  upon  his  darkest  hours — to  see  him  with 
sad  face,  but  courageous  heart  and  wise  head,  confront  the  dangers  of  his  time, 
and,  when  all  others  stood  dismayed,  quietly  rise  superior  to  the  storm  and  control 
it — to  see  him  at  times,  almost  alone,  with  hand  on  helm  and  watchful  eye,  when 
night  and  storm  and  darkness,  in  their  wondrous  strength,  threatened  destruction. 
His  simple  faith  in  the  triumph  of  the  right  had  come  to  be  to  the  people  "  as  the 
shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land." 

Surrounded  by  those  who  wielded  power,  he  never  forgot  or  lost  faith  in  the 
plain  people  from  whom  the  power  came;  his  ear  was  always  open  to  their  plead- 
ings, and  the  letter  of  a  heart-broken  wife  or  mother,  on  behalf  of  a  wounded  hus- 
band or  son,  claimed  his  attention  more  promptly  than  a|  state  paper  from  the 
Court  of  St.  James. 

His  thoughts  followed  the  soldier  boys  in  their  marches  and  battles;  into  the 
trenches  and  up  the  bristling  heights  of  Vicksburg;  into  the  clouds  at  Lookout;  on 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  231 

the  bloody  fields  of  Chickamauga  and  Shiloh;  on  the  death-swept  heights  of  Get- 
tysburg; at  Bull  Run,  Fair  Oaks,  Seven  Pines,  Chancellorsville,  the  Shenandoah, 
and  the  deadly  Wilderness,  at  Libby  and  Andersonville;  and,  through  it  all,  his  sim- 
ple faith  and  kindly  human  sympathy  gradually  drew  the  heart  of  the  army  to 
him,  so  that,  in  their  hour  of  victory,  they  coupled  the  name  of  Father  Abraham 
with  their  songs  of  triumph,  and  when  sickness,  wounds  and  defeat  came,  some- 
how the  spirit  of  his  kindly,  hopeful  human  nature  reached  them  in  hospital,  or  on 
the  retreat,  or  as  they  lay  wounded  and  thirsting  with  the  awful  thirst  of  the 
wounded  soldier,  and  through  it  all  that  spirit  came  as  a  solace  and  a  balm;  from 
his  heart  to  eveiy  soldier's  heart  stretched  chords  of  sympathy,  and  the  assassin's 
pistol  failed  to  sever  them;  from  every  soldier's  heart  to  Lincoln's  grave  they 
stretch,  and  all  the  kindly  feeling  of  the  olden  time  is  awakened  as  they  gather 
around  his  tomb. 

When  he  fell  then  in  the  supreme  moment  of  triumph,  his  heart  full  of  kindly 
feelings  for  the  vanquished,  and  sympathy  for  the  sufferers,  when  the  people  of  the 
north  saw  him  \thus  wantonly  struck  down,  and  the  army  saw  their  ideal  father 
hurried  to  his  death  by  an  assassin,  can  it  be  wondered  that  the  public  heart  stood 
still ;  that  the  ranks  of  the  army  were  reformed ;  that  the  stacked  muskets  were 
grasped  again ;  that  the  harsh  notes  of  war  rang  out  again  before  the  echoes  of 
the  songs  of  peace  had  died  away ;  that  the  bright  and  joyous  homes  of  the  North 
were  again  darkened  with  a  grief  more  poignant  than  before  because  it  tread  so 
closely  on  the  heels  of  joy? 

And  not  only  was  this  true  in  the  homes  of  the  North,  but  in  the  desolate  homes 
of  the  South  as  well,  homes  already  darkened  by  the  loss  of  loved  ones  and 
shrouded  in  the  gloom  of  a  terrible  defeat.  Sitting  as  they  were  already,  amid  the 
ashes  and  ruins  of  all  they  fought  for  and  hoped  for,  with  life  only  left,  to  brood  in 
hopeless  sorrow  over  their  fruitless  struggle  their  folded  banners  and  their  fallen 
cause,  the  gleam  of  peace  which  had  come  to  them  was  brightened  by  the  sunshine 
of  kindly  sympathy  which  they,  with  all  the  world,  had  found  in  Lincoln's  nature, 
and  his  hand  was  already  stretching  out  to  them  in  their  darkness  and  desolation ; 
his  very  nature  spanned  their  darkened  skies  as  a  rainbow,  bidding  them  hope ; 
in  their  shipwreck  the  friendly  sail  that  was  bearing  down  on  them  to  answer  their 
signals  of  distress  was  suddenly  sunk  to  the  bottom,  and  they  felt  themselves 
adrift  upon  an  ocean  of  ruin  with  no  friendly  sail  in  sight. 

They  surely  were  left  to  taste  the  bitterest  fruit  of  unholy  ambition,  we  to  endure 
a  sorrow  more  keen  than  any  people  ever  felt ;  and  the  army  to  exercise  a  self- 
restraint  such  as  no  army  ever  did  before.  The  palms  of  victory  came  to  Lincoln 
but  they  were  borne  to  him  by  the  hand  of  death.  The  nation  mourned  him  as  it 
never  mourned  one  before.  It  was  not  a  mere  official  mourning,  but  each  one  felt 
it  as  a  personal  bereavement.  The  ehadow  of  death  entered  every  household,  and 
its  sable  drapery  covered  every  door  post. 

His  life  was  and  is  a  marvel.  Honesty,  integrity  and  simplicity  were  the  jewels 
of  that  life.  In  origin  humble,  in  ways  simple,  without  grace  of  face  and  form, 
unskilled  in  standard  state-craft,  or  in  the  learning  of  the  schools,  he  moved  through, 
life  a  plain,  sad-faced  man,  but  master  of  all  who  came  within  the  magic  circle  o*' 
his  witchery,  a  circle  more  potent  than  Richelieu's.  He  personally  won  men  to 
him,  and  those  who  came  in  contact  with  him  felt  the  spell  and  submitted  to  its 
thraldom,  led  by  the  invisible  chords  of  his  marvelous  power.  He  felt  his  way  to 
the  heart  and  the  judgment  of  all.  He  thought  as  the  average  man  thinks,  he 
reasoned  as  the  average  man  reasons.  No  elevation  or  success  moved  him.  His 


232  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

nature  was  a  strong  adamant  to  endure  all  vicissitudes  unchanged,  but  with  it  was 
mixed  a  kindly  humor  like  the  flowering  vine  that  climbs  the  rocky  mountain  face 
that  gave  him  a  wonderful  zest  and  sparkle,  and  served  him  as  an  Alladin's  lamp 
to  open  to  him  all  the  chambers  and  all  the  treasures  of  the  hearts  of  his  fellows. 
In  his  genial  presence: 

"The  nights  were  full  of  music. 

And  the  cares  that  infest  the  day, 
Folded  their  tents  like  the  Arabs, 

And  silently  stole  away." 

As  well  might  the  hasheesh  eater  attempt  to  analyze  the  seductive  influence  a& 
for  those  who  felt  the  spell  of  Lincoln's  voice  and  presence  to  say  where  and  what 
it  was.  Others  were  more  polished,  learned  and  graceful,  but  he  attracted  even 
the  polished,  learned  and  graceful,  and  made  them  forget  themselves  while  listen- 
ing to  him.  His  power  over  men  was  subtle  as  thought,  winning  as  the  love-light 
in  the  eye  of  woman,  and  happy  as  the  smile  that  ripples  over  the  face  of  sleeping 
infancy. 

Though  humble  in  his  origin,  the  world  and  history  care  no  more  for  his  origin 
than  for  that  of  Csesar,  Alexander  or  Washington.  He  marked  an  epoch  in  history 
from  which  men  may  be  measured  and  events  dated.  He  has  become  a  source 
himself,  as  in  tracing  titles,  beyond  which  it  were  vain  to  go.  His  patent  of  no- 
bility came  from  on  high,  and  no  rules  of  heraldry  can  impeach  it.  He  commenced 
an  era.  He  is  one  of  the  world's  corner  stones  marking  the  boundary  line  between 
freedom  and  slavery.  In  the  world's  Pantheon  he  holds  the  place  of  honor  in  modern 
times.  His  name  is  linked  with  every  story  of  the  war.  His  features  are  engraved 
in  the  heart  of  everv  soldier.  His  name  was  mingled  with  the  shouts  of  victory 
on  every  battlefield  where  the  Union  armies  triumphed,  and  Lincoln  and  liberty 
are  synonyms  in  the  humble  cabins  of  a  nation  by  him  set  free.  His  name  is  pre- 
served in  our  history,  his  memory  embalmed  in  our  literature,  and  his  acts  preserved 
in  our  laws  and  institutions.  As  President  of  the  Republic  he  was  an  example  of 
the  simplicity  designed  by  its  founders,  and  as  a  faithful  public  servant,  forgetful 
of  self,  unstained  by  power,  undismayed  by  defeat,  unchanged  by  success,  and 
thoughtful  of  the  people  from  whom  power  comes,  he  was  worthy  the  emulation 
of  all  who  may  follow  him. 

"  When  his  work  was  done,  with  his  name  on  every  tongue,  his  sunshine  on 
every  heart  that  came  within  his  reach,  his  homely  words  engraved  on  all  good 
hearts,  and  his  memory  a  treasure  for  all  mankind,  he  closes  his  pure  and  simple 
life,  and  carrying,  unstained,  the  jewels  of  honesty,  integrity  and  simplicity  which 
were  the  working  tools  of  his  life,  he  laid  them  before  the  great  white  throne,  and 
with  him  came  the  tears  of  joy  and  songs  of  praise  for  their  deliverance  from 
millions  of  God's  sable  children  on  earth." 

The  Appollo  Club  then  sang  "America"  with  the  finest  effect. 

James  H.  Rayhill,  of  Jacksonville,  Professor  of  Elocution 
in  Illinois  College,  also  in  the  Young  Ladies  Atheneum,  then 
read  an  original  poem  written  for  the  occasion.  He  prefaced 
the  reading  by  stating  that  he  had  called  on  a  young  lady 
the  Friday  before  and  asked  her  to  write  a  poem  for  him  to 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  233 

read  on  Lincoln  Memorial  Day,  and   that   it   was  completed 
the  next  evening.    He  then  read,  \vith  elocutionary  precision, 

OTJR  ELOQUENT  DEAD. 

BY  MISS  IDA  SCOTT  TAYLOR. 

Again,  where  the  flag  of  our  Nation  is  spread, 

We  stand  by  the  tomb  of  our  eloquent  dead ; 

And  linked  with  the  love  that  has  bound  us  for  years, 

Tread  softly  the  spot  that  is  hallowed  by  tears. 

Yea,  hallowed  by  memories,  tender  and  true, 

That  breathe  forth  their  sweets  like  a  rose  dipped  in  dew, 

And  burn  in  the  heart  as  if  written  in  gold — 

Too  sacred  to  utter,  to  dear  to  be  told. 

He  sleeps  in  his  rest  like  a  shaft  that  is  cleft ; 
A  reed  that  is  broken ;  an  unfinished  weft ; 
A  tree  that  is  stricken  and  crushed  by  the  gale ; 
A  ship  driven  seaward,  devoid  of  its  sail. 

He  sleeps  like  a  martyr  who  died  in  his  prime — • 
His  deeds  written  down  in  the  annals  of  time— 
And  gathered  about  him  we  honor  his  dust, 
Our  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  noble  and  just ! 

O,  Slavery  !  why  did  America  wear 
Thy  frown,  like  the  gloom  of  an  awful  despair? 
And  why  did  she  bow  her  proud  head  at  thy  shrine, 
Nor  feel  the  sweet  pity  which  seems  half  divine? 

O,  why  did  she,  crowned  like  a  queen  on  her  throne, 
Sit  crushed  like  a  being  unloved  and  alone, — 
Her  garments  dyed  red  with  the  blood  of  her  sons, 
Her  quietude  broken  by  clamor  and  guns? 

The  graves  of  our  heroes  have  sprinkled  the  earth, 
The  sound  of  their  anguish  breaks  in  on  our  mirth, 
And  oft  in  the  silence  of  sorrow  and  pain 
We  grieve  for  some  dear  one  who  sleeps  with  the  slain. 

Our  hearts  seek  them  out  with  a  desolate  cry — 
We  picture  each  face  with  a  lingering  sigh, 
And  turn,  full  of  tears,  to  the  sword  at  our  side ; 
Twas  all  for  their  country  these  patriots  died  ! 

O,  Slavery!  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  brave, 
Beached  out  in  his  pity  our  nation  to  save, 
He  struck  the  fell  blow  that  was  death  unto  thee  ; 
That  blow,  praise  the  Lord!  made  America  free! 

Ah,  could  we  forget  what  our  Lincoln  has  done? 
America  claims  him  with  rev'rence,  her  son ; 
She  points  to  his  tomb  with  a  feeling  of  pride, 
And  stands  like  a  guardian  saint  at  its  side. 

—15 


234  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

And  Freedom,  the  dignified  daughter  of  Peace, 
Each  year  shall  his  merited  praises  increase ; 
The  sun  shall  turn  cold  and  its  light  fade  away 
Ere  the  world  shall  forget  him  we  honor  to-day. 

How  modest,  forgiving  and  gentle  he  was ; 
How  slow  to  condemn,  without  heaviest  cause ; 
How  ready  to  succor  the  helpless  and  weak ; 
In  deep  provocation — how  careful  to  speak! 

How  honors  became  him!    Nor  did  he  once  boast, 
Tho'  placed  at  the  head  of  America's  host ; 
In  ev'ry  position  the  world  was  impressed, 
That  Abraham  Lincoln  was  doing  his  best. 

He  honored  the  White  House — this  man  among  men— * 
As  others  have  honored  it  often,  since  then ; 
Aye,  greater  than  all  has  he  proven  to  be, 
By  setting  the  fettered  and  helpless  ones  free. 

O,  liberty!  wave  thy  glad  colors  on  high! 
We'll  stand  by  the  flag,  or  we'll  perish  and  die! 
Wave,  wave  its  bright  folds  till  they  tenderly  spread 
A  mantle  of  love  o'er  our  eloquent  dead. 

"With  malice  towards  none  ;"  let  his  motto  be  ours, 
We'll  try  to  protect  it  with  all  of  our  powers ; 
We'll  try  to  enact  it,  tho'  short  we  may  fall, 
Remembering  that  "charity"  crowneth  it  all. 

We  turn  to  the  past  with  a  sadness  to-day ; 
A  score  and  one  years  since  we  laid  him  away! 
A  score  and  one  years  have  passed  over  our  land 
Since  he  was  cut  down  by  a  merciless  hand! 

We  mourned  for  him  then,  and  we  mourn  for  him  still, 
Such  vacancies  left  are  not  easy  to  fill; 
Such  natures  as  his,  Ah!  but  rarely  we  find, 
Where  gentleness,  genius  and  love  are  combined. 

Oh!  statesman  and  ruler!     Sleep  on  in  thy  tomb, 
While  April  is  bursting  with  leaf  and  with  bloom! 
The  glad  resurrection  Spring-time  is  here, 
And  nature  is  glowing  'mid  sunlight  and  tear. 

Sleep  on  ;  take  thy  rest ;  for  the  burden  of  life 
Shall  never  oppress  thee  with  sorrow  and  strife, 
But  peaceful  and  calm,  as  a  river  that  flows, 
Thy  sleep  shall  go  on  in  its  silent  repose. 

We'll  never  forget  thee,  tho'  seasons  decay ; 
Our  love  shall  increase  as  the  years  drift  away, 
And  turning  our  eyes  to  the  records  of  Fame 
We'll  feel  the  old  thrill,  as  we  glance  at  thy  name. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  235 

Yes,  lift  up  the  flag!    Let  its  stripes  and  its  stars 
Be  heralds  of  peace — and  not  bloodshed  and  war! 
Again  let  its  colors  be  loyally  spread 
O'er  Abraham  Lincoln,  our  eloquent  dead! 
JACKSONVILLE,  111.,  April  15, 1886. 

Major  J.  A.  Connolly  called  the  attention  of  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  to  the  fact  that  there  was  a  gentleman 
residing  at  Lerna,  Coles  county,  Illinois,  who  had  written 
something  worthy  to  be  read  at  the  tomb  of  Lincoln,  and 
form  part  of  our  Memorial  service.  We  extended  to  him  an 
invitation  to  come  and  read  it.  We  all  feel  like  thanking  Mr. 
Connolly  for  his  intervention.  This  gentleman  was  next  in- 
troduced, and  read: 

is  LINCOLN  DEAD"? 

BY  GEO.  B.  BALCH. 

Is  Lincoln  dead?    What  means  this  solemn  throng? 

This  drapery  and  this  funeral  song  ? 

What  mean  these  gathering  bands  of  soldiers  brave? 

Come  they  to  weep  around  their  chieftain's  grave? 

And  is  he  dead?    'Tis  true  the  crumbling  urn 

In  which  his  lofty  spirit  used  to  burn, 

Within  this  mausoleum  vast  must  stay, 

'Till  angels  come  and  roll  these  stones  away; 

But  even  death  is  powerless  to  bind 

With  bolts  and  granite  walls  so  great  a  mind ! 

The  vile  of  earth  in  unknown  graves  may  lie, 

But  Lincoln  and  his  deeds  will  never  die. 

He  lives  in  every  patriot's  heart  enshrined, 
A  star  of  hope  to  all  as  slaves  confined, 
Inspiring  all  the  weary  sons  of  toil 
To  win  the  race  and  gain  the  victor's  spoil. 
His  deeds,  deep  burned  on  history's  fairest  page, 
Will  brighter  shine  in  each  succeeding  age, 
And  nations  yet  to  be  will  shout  his  name, 
And  future  bards  arise  to  spread  his  fame. 
"Lincoln"  will  be  the  watchword  of  the  brave 
On  every  field  where  freedom's  flag  shall  wave, 
And  down  thro'  all  the  cycles  yet  to  come, 
His  name  will  gladden  many  a  heart  and  home. 

When  freedom's  bells  rang  out  upon  the  air 

Like  roar  of  lions  in  some  lofty  lair, 

Proclaiming  loud  to  all  beneath  the  skies 

That  "Truth,  'tho'  crushed  to  earth,  would  soon  arise:" 


236  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Pealing  in  rythmic  notes,  from  shore  to  shore, 
The  joyful  news  that  treason  was  no  more; 
That  God,  by  him,  a  wondrous  work  had  done — 
A  house,  divided,  had  been  joined  in  one — 
'Twas  Lincoln's  voice  we  heard,  the  bells  were  still 
Had  he  possessed  a  less  heroic  will. 

And  down  among  the  fields  of  cane  and  corn 
The  hounds  are  hushed,  and  hushed  the  waking  horn; 
Decay  and  rust  have  claimed  the  cruel  chain, 
At  rest  the  lash,  and  crushed  the  cries  of  pain. 
The  hound,  the  horn,  the  lash,  the  cries,  the  tears, 
Were  buried  'neath  the  sweeping  flood  of  years; 
And  shouts  as  if  the  brazen  gates  of  hell 
From  off  their  massive  hinges  swung  and  fell. 

And  those  so  long  in  chains  and  darkness  there, 

Had  once  more  breathed  sweet  freedom's  balmy  air, 

Arose  from  all  the  liberated  throng 

"  Like  sound  of  many  waters  "  joined  in  song. 

'Twas  Lincoln's  voice,  the  slave  were  still  a  slave 

Had  he  not  stretched  his  generous  arms  to  save! 

His  voice  still  rings  in  Freedom's  jubilee, 

As  sung  by  those  his  matchless  will  made  free. 

Our  starry  flag  were  in  the  dust  to-day, 
Had  he,  like  others,  basely  turned  away. 
Its  stars  were  wandering  orbs  in  unknown  space, 
Had  he  not  fixed  them  in  their  changeless  place; 
The  brightest  gem  in  all  the  shining  host, 
"Without  his  matchless  power  the  rest  were  lost, 
But  now  they  brightly  beam  o'er  all  the  land, 
He  Orion  fair,  they  his  shining  band. 

But  here  he  sleeps  the~sleep  that  waits  us  oil, 
That  knows  no  waking  till  the  trumpet  call. 
"Walk  softly,  then,  for  here  the  angels  stay, 
"Whom  Heaven  appoints  to  watch  the  sleeping  clay. 
Here  love  keeps  constant  vigil  o'er  his  dust, 
And  guards  with  sleepless  eyes  her  sacred  trust; 
And  it  is  well  to  keep,  with  ceaseless  care, 
A  casket  which  contains  a  gem  so  rare. 

At  morning's  early  dawn,  may  sweet  perfume 
From  fragrant  flower  embalm  this  honored  tomb, 
"While  warbling  wild  birds'  sweetest  songs  arise 
In  morning  anthems  to  the  bending  skies, 
Else,  filled  with  sadness,  may  they  cease  to  sing, 
And  pass  this  sacred  place  on  silent  wing. 

At  noon,  may  softest  sunbeams  kiss  the  place 
Where  sleeps  the  noblest  of  our  age  and  race, 
While  trees  of  fadeless  green  their  shadows  spread 
Around  this  silent  mansion  of  our  mighty  dead. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  237 

May  silent  dews  descend  from  evening  skies, 
And  all  this  monumental  pile  baptize, 
While  all  the  stars  in  silent  wonder  gaze 
"Upon  the  homage  man  to  greatness  pays. 

"When  midnight  hangs  her  sable  curtains  'round 
This  silent  sepulcher  and  hallowed  ground, 
May  naught  be  heard  except  the  ceaseless  tread 
Of  those  who  keep  this  palace  of  the  dead; 
With  sleepless  eyes,  may  they  their  vigils  keep 
While  o'er  his  tomb  Pleiades  shall  weep. 

But  tho'  these  stones  may  sink  beneath  the  sod. 
Yet  Lincoln  lives,  and  dwells  in  Lght  with  God;" 
A  seraph,  winged,  he  waits  before  the  face 
Of  Him  whose  awful  presence  fills  all  space. 
He  still  broods  o'er  this  free,  united  land, 
Bearing  sweet  olive  branches  in  his  hand; 
And,  as  he  wings  the  continent,  he  cries: 
"Arise!  0  fairest  of  all  lands,  arise, 
Thy  higher,  nobler  calling  to  fulfill; 
A  grander  destiny  awaits  thee  still! 
Light  thou  the  path  of  all  who  dare  be  free, 
And  live  for  God  and  crushed  humanity." 

f  There  is  a  matter,  not  on  the  programme,  that  it  seems 
Tiighly  appropriate  should  be  introduced  here.  After  the  monu- 
ment was  erected  to  the  memory  of  President  Lincoln,  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  the  grave  of  his  father,  Thomas  Lincoln, 
was  without  a  name.  It  is  in  a  country  place  called  the  Gor- 
don Graveyard,  surrounding  a  small  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  situated  about  twelve  miles  southeast  of  Mattoon,  in 
Coles  county,  Illinois.  The  writer  is  assured,  by  one  who 
knows  all  the  circumstances,  that  the  last  act  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
before  leaving  Illinois  to  take  his  seat  in  Washing-ton  as 
President,  was  to  visit  his  father's  grave,  and  while  there  he 
placed  money  in  the  hands  of  a  certain  party  to  have  a  monu- 
ment erected.  The  money  was  never  used  for  the  purpose, 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  was  never  apprised  of  the  neglect.  In  1876, 
a  poem  was  written  and  circulated  in  the  neighborhood, 
entitled 

THE  GRAVE  OF  THE  FATHER  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

BY  GEOEGK  B.  BALCH. 

In  a  low  sweet  vale,  by  a  murmuring  rill, 

The  pioneer's  ashes  are  sleeping  ; 
Where  the  white  marble  shafts,  so  lonely  and  still, 
'  In  silence  their  vigils  are  keeping. 


238  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

On  their  sad  lonely  faces  are  words  of  fame, 

But  none  of  them  speak  of  his  glory  ; 
When  the  pioneer  died,  his  age  and  his  name, 

No  monument  whispers  the  story. 

No  myrtle,  nor  ivy,  nor  hyacinth  blows, 

O'er  the  lonely  place  where  they  laid  him ; 
No  cedar,  nor  holly,  nor  almond  tree  grows 

Near  the  Plebian's  grave,  to  shade  him. 

Bright  evergreens  wave  over  many  a  grave, 

O'er  some  bows  the  sad  weeping  willow  ; 
But  no  willow  trees  bow,  nor  evergreens  wave, 

Where  the  pioneer  sleeps  on  his  pillow. 

While  some  are  inhumed  with  the  honors  of  State, 

And  placed  beneath  temples  to  moulder ; 
The  grave  of  the  father  of  Lincoln,  the  great, 

Is  known  by  a  hillock  and  boulder. 

Let  him  take  his  lone  sleep,  and  quietly  rest, 

With  naught  to  disturb  or  awake  him  ; 
When  the  angels  descend  to  gather  the  blest, 

To  Abraham's  bosom  they'll  take  him. 

Like  the  frosted  leaf,  or  the  evening  gray, 

The  old  pioneers  are  passing  away ; 
The  few  who  still  battle  with  life's  troubled  wave, 

Are  white  for  the  harvest,  are  ripe  for  the  grave. 

The  publication  of  the  above  poem  stirred  the  people  up  to- 
raise  money  for  the  purpose,  of  which  Robert  T.  Lincoln  con- 
tributed $100,  and  a  very  neat  monument  of  white  marble 
was  erected  over  the  hitherto  neglected  grave.  (See  the  in- 
scription.) 

The  boulder  spoken  of  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  verse  was 
placed  on  the  grave  by  President  Lincoln  at  his  last  visit, 
and  remained  there  until  the  monument  was  erected,  when  it 
was  carried  off  by  some  relic-seekers  from  Chicago. 

While  Mr.  Balch  was  in  Springfield  attending  the  Lincoln 
memorial  services,  he  voluntarily  promised  the  writer  that 
he  would  have  a  picture  made  of  the  monument  over  the 
grave  of  President  Lincoln's  father,  and  deposit  it  as  a  me- 
mento, in  Memorial  Hall  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
here.  He  had  the  picture  made  in  June,  and  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  artist,  very  properly  had  his  own  likeness  taken, 
standing  a  short  distance  from  the  monument.  He  very 
much  desired  to  present  it  here  in  person,  but  before  a  copy 
could  be  finished  he  sickened,  and  after  lingering  some  weeks, 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


GRAVE  OF  THOMAS  LINCOLN. 


240  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

death  reached  forth  its  sickle  and  claimed  him  for  its  own. 
He  died  September  4,  1886,  at  his  home  near  Lerna,  Coles 
county,  Illinois.  The  artist,  knowing  the  intentions  of  Mr. 
Balch,  sent  the  picture  to  the  custodian  of  the  monument, 
with  the  following  note,  which  explains  itself: 

MATTOON,  ILL.,  September  6,  1886. 

ME.  J.  C.  POWER,  Dear  Sir — I  am  very  sorry  to  inform  you  of  the  death  of 
Mr.  George  B.  Balch,  the  poet.  He  died  Saturday,  at  7  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  was 
buried  yesterday.  So  it  devolves  on  me  to  send  you  the  picture  in  which  he  was 
so  much  interested.  I  made  it  in  June,  and-  Mr.  Balch's  desire  was  to  take  it  to 
Springfield  in  person.  Yours  truly, 

GEORGE  BRADSHAW. 

The  last,  or  seventh  verse,  was  added  to  the  poem  after  the 
monument  was  erected,  and  the  negative  for  the  picture  taken 
ten  years  after  the  other  six  verses  had  been  written.  The 
very  day  the  author  penned  it  he  was  taken  with  what  proved 
to  be  his  fatal  illness,  and  they  are  probably  the  last  words 
he  ever  wrote.  Mr.  Bradshaw,  in  sending  the  picture  and 
speaking  of  the  disappointment  of  Mr.  Balch  in  not  being  per- 
mitted to  come  to  Springfield  with  it,  says:  "I  am  glad  I 
made  it  as  I  did,  because  Geo.  B.  Balch  was  a  grand,  good 
man,  whose  moral  and  intellectual  worth  cannot  be  over- 
estimated." He  was  for  many  years  a  ruling  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  known  to.be  deeply  religious 
and  ardently  patriotic,  and  he  breathes  both  into  his  poetry. 

The  same  remark  may  be  truthfully  applied  to  the  poem, 
"Is  Lincoln  Dead,"  by  Balch,  that  is  made  of  another,  read 
at  a  former  memorial  service,  "That  it  is  worthy  to  live  with 
the  best  that  has  been  written  about  Lincoln."  When  Mr. 
Balch  finished  reading  his  poem,  the  Apollo  Club  sang  the 
following 

DIRGE. 

How  blest  are  they  whcse  honored  years 

Pass  like  an  evening  meteor's  flight ; 

Not  dark  with  guilt,  nor  dim  with  tears 

Whose  course  is  short,  is  short,  unclouded  bright ! 

Oh,  cheerless  were  our  lengthened  way, 

But  heaven's  own  light  dispels,  dispels  the  gloom ; 

Streams  flowing  downward  from  day  eternal ; 

And  cast  a  glory  around  the  tomb. 

Oh,  stay  thy  tears,  the  blest  above 

Have  hailed  a  spirit's  heavenly  birth, 

And  sung  a  song  of  joy  and  love  ; 

Then  why  should  anguish,  why  should  it  reign  on  earth? 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  241 

In  compliance  with  the  established  rule  that  at  least  one 
member  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  shall  take  part  in 
•every  memorial  service,  Clinton  L.  Conkling  read  the  follow- 
ing from  Raymond's  Life  of  Lincoln: 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1864,  a  committee  from  the  Workingmen's  Association  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  waited  upon  the  President  and  delivered  an  address,  stating 
the  general  objects  and  purposes  of  the  association,  and  requesting  that  he  would 
allow  his  name  to  be  enrolled  among  its  honorary  members.  From  the  President's 
reply  to  this  address  I  make  the  following  extracts  :  (He  himself  quotes  largely 
from  his  message  to  Congress  in  December,  1861.) 

"GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  COMMITTEE:  The  honorary  membership  of  your  associ- 
ation, so  generously  tendered,  is  gratefully  accepted.  * 

"There  is  one  point  to  which  I  ask  a  brief  attention.  It  is  the  effort  to  place 
-capital  on  an  equal  footing,  if  not  above  labor,  in  the  structure  of  government.  It 
is  assumed  that  labor  is  available  only  in  connection  with  capital ;  that  nobody 
labors  unless  somebody  else,  owning  capital,  somehow  by  the  use  of  it  induces, 
him  to  labor.  This  assumed,  it  is  next  considered  whether  it  is.  best  that  capital 
shall  hire  laborers,  and  thus  induce  them  to  work  by  their  own  consent,  or  buy 
them,  and  drive  them  to  do  it  without  their  consent.  Having  proceeded  so  far, 
it  is  naturally  concluded  that  all  laborers  are  either  hired  laborers,  or  what  we  call 
slaves.  And,  further,  it  is  assumed  that  whoever  is  once  a  hired  laborer,  is  fixed 
in  that  condition  for  life.  Now  there  is  no  such  relation  between  capital  and  labor 
as  assumed,  nor  is  there  any  such  thing  as  a  free  man  being  fixed  for  life  in  the 
condition  of  a  hired  laborer.  Both  these  assumptions  are  false,  and  all  inferences 
from  them  are  groundless. 

"Labor  is  prior  to,  and  independent  of,  capital.  Capital  is  only  the  fruit  of  labo^ 
and  could  never  have  existed  if  labor  had  not  first  existed.  Labor  is  the  superior 
of  capital,  and  deserves  much  the  higher  consideration.  Capital  has  its  rights 
which  are  as  worthy  of  protection  as  any  other  rights.  Nor  is  it  denied  that  there 
is,  and  probably  always  will  be,  a  relation  between  capital  and  labor,  producing 
mutual  benefits.  *  *  *  * 

"There  is  not,  of  necessity,  any  such  thing  as  the  free  hired  laborer  being  fixed 
to  that  condition  for  life.  Many  independent  men  everywhere  in  these  States,  a 
few  years  back  in  their  h'ves,  were  hired  laborers.  The  prudent,  penniless  begin- 
ner in  the  world  labors  for  wages  a  while,  saves  a  surplus  with  which  to  buy  tools 
or  land  for  himself,  then  labors  on  his  own  account  another  while,  and  at  length 
hires  another  new  beginner  to  help  him.  This  is  the  just  and  generous  and  pros- 
perous system  which  opens  the  way  to  all,  gives  hope  to  all,  and  consequent 
energy  and  progress,  and  improvement  of  condition  to  all.  No  men  living  are 
more  worthy  to  be  trusted  than  those  who  toil  up  from  poverty — none  less  inclined 
to  touch  or  take  aught  which  they  have  not  honestly  earned.  Let  them  beware  of 
surrendering  a  political  power  they  already  possess,  and  which,  if  surrendered 
will  surely  be  used  to  close  the  door  of  advancement  against  such  as  they,  and  to 
fix  new  disabilities  and  burdens  upon  them,  till  all  of  liberty  shall  be  lost.  *  *  * 

"None  are  so  deeply  interested  to  resist  the  present  rebellion  as  the  working 
people.  Let  them  beware  of  prejudices,  working  division  and  hostility  among 
themselves.  The  strongest  bond  of  human  sympathy,  outside  of  the  family  rela- 
tion, should  be  one  uniting  all  working  people,  of  all  nations,  and  tongues,  and 
kindreds. 


242  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

"Nor  should  this  lead  to  a  war  upon  property,  or  the  owners  of  property.  Prop- 
erty is  the  fruit  of  labor ;  property  is  desirable ;  is  a  positive  good  in  the  world. 
That  some  should  be  rich  shows  that  others  may  become  rich,  and  hence  is  just- 
encouragement  to  industry  and  enterprises.  Let  not  him  who  is  houseless  pull 
down  the  house  of  another,  but  let  him  labor  diligently  and  build  one  for  himself, 
thus  by  example  assuring  that  his  own  shall  be  safe  from  violence  when  built." 

On  being  introduced,  the  closing  prayer  and  benediction 
was  offered  by  Rev.  Charles  Austrian,  Rabbi  of  the  B'rith 
Sholom  congregation,  Hebrew  temple,  Springfield. 

Tears  are  all  in  vain  over  the  remembrance  this  day  recalls.  They  cannot 
efface  the  sorrow,  nor  heal  the  wound  father  Abraham's  death  left  on  our  hearts. 
Our  thoughts  are  especially  directed  towards  him  on  this  day ;  his  love  and  his 
kindness  are  again  vividly  presented  to  our  minds.  We  will  ever  devote  this 
anniversary  to  honor  his  memory,  and  render  it  useful  to  us  by  deeds  of  charity,, 
compassion  and  mercy  towards  others,  and  by  offering  fervent  prayers  to  Almighty 
God  for  the  happy  repose  of  his  spirit.  And  Thou,  0  God  of  mercy,  who  art  the 
Lord  of  the  living  and  the  dead,  deign  to  hearken  to  thy  children's  prayer  for  the 
repose  of  this  great  father's  soul.  We  beseech  Thee,  0  Lord,  extend  to  him  Thy 
mercy  and  forgiveness,  since  the  most  righteous  are  not  without  sin.  Keceive 
him  in  Thy  dwelling  place  among  those  who  have  done  Thy  will,  so  that  he  may- 
enjoy  the  blessings  reserved  for  Thy  holy  ones,  who  have  lived  on  earth.  Monu- 
ments of  stone  may  decay  and  vanish,  but  his  illustrious  name  will  be  forever  en- 
graven in  the  deepest  rcesses  of  our  hearts.  0,  may  there  also  be  repose  granted: 
to  all  the  dear  and  beloved  souls  gathered  in  yonder  fields.  The  spirit  of  God 
may  lead  them  into  the  fields  of  eternal  happiness  and  peace.  May  the  blessing  of 
Divine  Providence  rest  upon  you  all  congregated  here.  The  Lord  bless  and  pre- 
serve you.  The  Lord  cause  his  countenance  to  shine  upon  you  and  be  gracious 
unto  you.  The  Lord  lift  up  his  countenance  and  grant  you  peace.  May  peace 
abide  within  your  walls,  prosperity  and  happiness  within  your  habitations.  Amen.. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  or  HONOR, 
LELAND  HOTEL,  MONDAY,  APBIL  19,  1886, 
7:30  o'clock  P.  M. 

CALLED    MEETING. 

Present — Dana,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Wiggins  and 
Conkling. 

Absent — Reece,  McNeill  and  Chapin. 

Bills  for  printing  programmes  and  for  flowers,  amounting 
to  $5.50,  were  ordered  to  be  paid. 

Secretary  was  ordered  to  transmit  a  resolution  of  thanks, 
with  our  seal  attached,  to  each,  for  the  assistance  rendered 
in  our  late  Memorial  Service,  to  Rev.  Francis  Springer,  D.  D.,. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  243 

to  Fred.  F.  Fisher,  musical  director,  and  the  members  of  the 
Apollo  Club;  to  Hon.  James  A.  Connolly;  to  Miss  Ida  Scott 
Taylor;  to  Prof.  James  H.  Ray  hill;  to  Mr.  Geo.  B.  Balch; 
to  Rev.  Charles  Austrian;  and  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  for  use  of  their  Hall. 

The  feeling  was  unanimous  that,  before  another  annual 
meeting,  a  public  statement  should  be  made  of  the  causes 
(heretofore  secret)  which  led  to  the  organization  of  The  Lin- 
coln Guard  of  Honor,  and  that  we  should  either  discontinue 
some  of  our  arduous  labors  or  increase  the  number  of  our 
members. 


24=4  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


DIVISION  FOURTEENTH 

EIGHTEEN   HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-SEVEN. 


Eighth  Annual  Meeting,  and  Eighth  Lincoln  Memorial  Service — The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  Assess  Themselves  Five  Dollars  Each  to  Defray  the  Expenses — 
Lincoln  Monument  Association  give  Their  Assent  to  the  Proposition  to 
Exhume  the  Body  of  the  President  from  its  Temporary  Burial  Place  and  to 
Bury  it  Permanently — Programme — Oration  by  Bishop  Seymour — Oration 
by  Hon.  W.  H.  Collins. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUAED  or  Ho  NOB, 

REVERE  HOUSE, 
Saturday,  Feb.  12,  1887,  7:30  o'clock  P.  M. 

EIGHTH  ANNUAL  MEETING. 

Present — Dana,    Power,    Lindley   and    Johnson. 

Absent — Keece,  Wiggins,  Conkling,  Chapin  and  McNeill. 

All  the  officers  were  re-elected  for  one  year,  or  until  their 
successors  are  chosen. 

G.  S.  Dana,  President. 

J.  N.  Reece,  Vice-President. 

J.  C,  Power,  Secretary. 

J.  P.  Lindley,  Treasurer. 

It  was  mutually  agreed  that  we  would  observe  the  twenty- 
second  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  April 
15th  next,  as  Lincoln  Memoral  Day,  but  leave  the  hour  and 
programme  to  be  determined  at  a  future  meeting. 

It  was  also  mutually  agreed,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Lind- 
ley, by  the  members  present,  that  with  the  concurrence  of  the 
absent  ones,  each  of  our  nine  members  will  contribute  five 
dollars  to  defray  the  expenses  of  our  Eighth  Memorial  Service. 

Adjourned  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  President. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  245 

OUR  EIGHTH  LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

THE  LINCOLN  GTJAED  or  HONOR, 

LELAND  HOTEL, 
Tuesday,  Mar.  22,  1887,  7:30  o'clock  P.  M. 

CALLED    MEETING. 

Present— Dana,  Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Chapiii,  Wiggins  and 
Johnson. 

Absent — McNeill  and  Conkling. 

Minutes  of  our  last,  which  was  our  eighth,  annual  meeting 
read  and  approved. 

The  Secretary  reported  that,  with  the  approval  of  President 
Dana,  he  had  invited  Bishop  Seymour,  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Diocese  of  Springfield,  to  deliver  the  principal  ad- 
dress at  our  next  Lincoln  Memorial  service,  and  that  the  in- 
vitation had  been  accepted. 

The  Secretary  was  instructed  to  send  an  invitation  to  Hon. 
"W.  H.  Collins  to  deliver  the  second  address  on  Memorial  Day. 
He  was  also  instructed  to  extend  an  invitation  to  Mrs.  E.  S. 
Johnson  to  read  a  selection  of  her  own  on  Memorial  Day. 

The  Secretary  reported  that  he  had  obtained  written  con- 
sent of  every  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Lin- 
coln Monument  Association,  to  have  the  body  of  President 
Lincoln  exhumed  and  buried  in  the  catacomb  under  the  sar- 
cophagus, and  the  body  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  by  his  side  on  the 
east.  He  had  done  this  in  order  that  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor  might  be  relieved  of  any  further  care,  responsibility  or 
secrecy  in  the  matter.  His  actions  were  approved  by  the 
members  present,  and  the  hope  expressed  that  the  re-burial 
might  be  accomplished  before  Memorial  Day. 

In  view  of  the  probability  that  the  remains  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lincoln  would  be  re-buried,  making  more  or  less  rubbish  in 
and  about  the  catacomb,  and  to  avoid  being  driven  to  seek 
shelter,  in  the  event  of  the  weather  being  stormy,  the  Secre- 
tary was  instructed  to  prepare  a  paper,  under  seal  of  The 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  asking  for  the  use  of  Representa- 
tive Hall,  in  the  State  Capitol,  in  which  to  hold  our  memorial 
service  April  15th.  Mr.  Wiggins  was  made  a  special  commit- 
tee to  present  the  paper  and  secure  the  Hall. 

It  was  ascertained  that  all  the  members  approved  the  propo- 
sition to  contribute  five  dollars  each  to  defray  the  expenses 


246  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

of  our  approaching  memorial  service.    The  amounts  were  to 
be  paid  to  the  Treasurer  without  further  delay. 
Adjourned  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  President. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 

LELAND  HOTEL, 
Monday,  April  8,  1887,  7:30  O'Clock  P.  M. 

CALLED    MEETING. 

Present — Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Chapin,  Wiggins 
and  Conkling. 

Absent — Dana  and  McNeill,  both  out  of  the  State. 

Minutes  of  the  last  meeting  read  and  approved. 

Secretary  reported  that  Hon.  W.  H.  Callins  had  accepted 
the  invitation  to  deliver  the  second  address ;  that  Mrs.  John- 
son had  accepted  the  invitation  to  read  a  selection  of  her 
own;  and  that  the  use  of  Representatives  Hall  had  been 
granted  by  a  vote  of  the  House,  to  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  for  holding  our  Eighth  Memorial  Service. 

Secretary  reported  that  Rev.  Dr.  McElroy  of  the  First  M. 
E.  Church  had  been  invited  to  offer  the  opening  prayer,  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Johnson  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  had 
been  invited  to  offer  the  closing  prayer  and  benediction,  on 
Lincoln  Memorial  Day,  and  that  both  had  accepted. 

The  following  programme  was  arranged,  and  500  copies 
ordered  to  be  printed: 

LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  DAY. 

PKOGKAMME  OF  THE  EIGHTH  MEMORIAL  SERVICE, 

To  be  held  on  the  Twenty-second  Anniversary  of  the  Death  of 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Services   will    commence  at  two  o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  April  15, 
1887,  in  Representatives'  Hall  at  the  State  Capitol,  under  the  direction  of 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

A  cordial  invitation  is  hereby  extended  to  all  citizens,  and  the  strangers  who  may 
be  sojourning  in  the  city,  to  be  present  and  unite  in  the  services. 

ORDER  OF  EXERCISES. 
PRATER,        -        By  Rev.  N.  W.  McElroy,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church 

Springfield. 

SINGING  BY  QUARTETTE — "  Come  Unto  Me,"  Chandler. 

Mrs.  E.  Huntington  Henkle,  Mrs.  Frank  W.  Wellman,  Mr.  Frank  H.  Jones, 

Mr.  Chas.  S.  Crowell. 

ADDRESS,  By  the  Right  Rev.  George  F.  Seymour,  S.  T.  D.,  LL.  D., 

Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Springfield. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  247 

READING,  -  -         By  Mrs.  E.  S.  Johnson,  wife  of  one  of  our  Members. 

SOLO—"  The  Tear,"  Stiyelli. 

Mrs.  E.  Huntington  Henke. 
ADDRESS,          -          By  Hon.  W.  H.  Collins,  of  Quincy,  a  Member  of  the  Illinois 

House  of  Representatives. 

READING,  -  By  Clinton  L.  Conkling  one  of  our  members. 

A  historical  paper  on  the  labors  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  in  guard- 
ing against  vandal  hands  the  remains  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
DUET — "Abide  With  Me,"  Donizetti. 

Mrs.  Henkle  and  Mr.  Frank  Jones. 

PRAYER  AND  BENEDICTION,         -         By  Rev.  D.  S.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Springfield. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 
MEMORIAL  HALL,  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 
Thursday,  April  14,  1887,  9  o'clock  A.  M. 

SPECIAL   MEETING. 

Present — Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Wiggins,  Chapin, 
and  Conkling. 

Absent — Dana  and  McNeill. 

Arrangements  were  previously  made  between  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor  and  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Lincoln 
Monument  Association,  for  exhuming  and  reburying  the 
bodies  of  President  and  Mrs.  Lincoln.  In  pursuance  of  that 
object,  the  Secretary  of  the  L.  G.  of  H.  sent  a  written  notice 
of  the  hour  to  begin  the  removal,  to  each  member  of  the 
Lincoln  Monument  Association.  The  Secretary,  as  Custodian 
of  the  Monument,  had  previously  caused  a  vault  or  receptacle 
to  be  prepared  in  the  catacomb  for  the  bodies.  In  addition, 
to  our  own  seven  members,  and  six  members  of  the  Monu- 
ment Association,  there  were  present,  our  Secretary,  being  the 
Custodian  of  the  Monument,  and  his  assistant,  Geo.  W. 
Trotter;  the  sexton  or  superintendent  of  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery, 
Mr.  Meredith  Cooper;  the  undertaker,  Mr.  Thos.  C.  Smith, , 
who  prepared  the  body  for  sepulture  when  it  was  put  in  the 
Monument  in  1871;  Leon  P.  Hopkins,  a  plumber;  J.  O.  Irwin, 
the  builder  of  the  receptacle  in  the  catacomb,  with  his  me- 
chanics and  laborers — in  all  about  twenty  persons. 

When  everything  was  ready,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor 
led  the  way  to  the  spot  marked  B,  in  the  ground  plan,  where 
the  bodies  were  exhumed  and  conveyed  to  Memorial  Hall. 


248  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  in  a  brief  address  by  Vice  Presi- 
dent Eeece,  formally  returned  the  bodies  to  the  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association.  The  Monument  Association  then  and  there 
caused  the  coffin  of  President  Lincoln  to  be  opened,  when  the 
features  were  identified,  beyond  a  doubt,  by  every  one  present 
who  had  ever  seen  him  in  life.  A  certificate  to  that  effect  was 
prepared  and  signed  by  the  six  members  present  of  the  Lin- 
coln Monument  Association. 

That  terminated  what  had  been  for  years  a  sacred  trust 
on  the  part  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  Under  direction 
of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  all  present  joined  in 
conveying  the  bodies  to  the  catacomb,  lowering  them  into 
the  vault,  filling  it  with  concrete,  relaying  the  tesselated 
marble  floor  over  them,  and  returning  the  empty  sarcophagus 
to  where  it  had  stood  for  many  years.  The  Lincoln  Guard 
of  Honor  then  dispersed  without  formal  adjournment,  to 
meet  next  day  at  the  State  Capitol  to  conduct  the  Lincoln 
Memorial  Services.  A  complete  history  of  the  removal  may 
be  found  in  the  sixth  division  of  this  volume. 

THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  or  HONOK, 

STATE  CAPITOL  or  ILLINOIS,  HALL  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 

Friday,  April  15,  1888—2  o'clock  P.  M. 

EIGHTH  LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

Present — Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Chapin  and  Conk- 
ling. 

Absent— Dana  and  McNeill  (both  out  of  the  State). 

Both  Houses  of  the  Legislature  having  adjourned  for  the 
day,  a  large  number  of  the  members  joined  in  the  services. 
The  weather  being  remarkably  fine,  there  were  many  citizens 
and  strangers,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  in  attendance. 

Precisely  at  the  time  for  opening,  Vice-President  Reece,  act- 
ing master  of  ceremonies,  introduced  Rev.  N.  W.  McElroy, 
D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church,  Springfield,  who 
offered  the  following 

INVOCATION  : 

Oh,  Thou  God  of  the  humblest  individuals,  of  all  individuals,  of  all  nations  and 
peoples,  of  all  ages  of  the  universe!  Thou  who  art  Supreme  over  all!  The  King 
of  angels  and  of  men!  The  holy,  just  Lord  and  Kuler  of  all!  Help  us  to  submit 
to  Thy  authority,  to  be  obedient  to  Thy  laws,  to  be  lojral  to  Thy  government,  to 
love  and  serve  Thee  with  perfect  hearts  and  willing  minds.  Thou  hast  said,  "The 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  240 

righteous  shall  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance,"  and  we  gather  here  to-day  in 
fulfillment  of  this  promise.  We  thank  Thee  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  Thy 
gift.  We  thank  Thee  for  his  providential  history,  for  the  life  of  hardship  in  his 
earlier  years,  for  the  rough  discipline  of  his  life  conflict;  for  his  sympathy  with 
all  humanity  and  our  civil  institutions;  his  oneness  with  the  people;  his  peerless 
abilities;  his  great  mind  and  greater  heart;  his  sterling  integrity;  his  profound 
common  sense;  his  patriotism;  his  private  virtues  and  public  deeds.  "The  mem- 
ory of  the  just  is  precious."  Help  us  to  cherish  his  memory. 

"  The  lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 
We  can  make  our  lives  sublime." 

Help  us  to  imitate  his  virtues,  and  to  cherish  the  institutions  he  loved  so  well, 
and  for  the  perpetuation  of  which  he  gave  his  life.  Forbid,  we  pray  Thee,  that  in 
our  land  should  be  repeated  the  history  of  the  nations  who  have  forgotten  Thee; 
that,  through  our  vices,  should  be  forfeited  the  priceless  boon  for  which  Abraham 
Lincoln  died.  May  we  not  be  unworthy  sons  of  noble  sires — the  ignoble  simili- 
tude of  fathers  who  were  men  in  reality,  and  not  the  likeness  of  men  without  pro- 
found convictions  and  moral  character.  Help  us  to  foster  all  those  institutions  and 
influences  which  develop  manly  character,  like  that  of  our  martyred  leader,  whose 
virtues  we  celebrate  in  these  Memorial  services,  and  to  do  all  we  can  to  banish 
from  our  land  every  influence  of  an  opposite  character.  May  the  heritage  of  our 
liberties,  God's  richest  political  gift  to  man,  watered  by  the  blood  of  patriots  and 
martyrs,  be  perpetuated  to  the  latest  generations  of  men.  May  "Liberty,  frater- 
nity, and  equality,"  in  the  true  and  divine  sense,  become  speedily  the  heritage  of 
all  peoples.  Preserve  our  land  from  civil  strife,  from  foreign  war,  from  plague  and 
pestilence,  from  drought  and  famine,  aad  especially  preserve  us  from  those  vices 
which  are  more  destroying  than  all  these  combined. 

Help  us  to  truly  appreciate  and  honor  our  great  and  good  men ;  help  us  to  rev- 
erence their  memories,  to  prize  their  virtues,  to  heed  their  counsels,  to  strive  to 
be  like  them.  Perpetuate  our  civil  and  social  institutions,  and  may  we  be  indeed  a 
nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord!  Let  Thy  blessing  rest  upon  the  exercises  of  this 
hour.  Bless  the  words  which  may  be  spoken,  accept  our  praises,  forgive  our  sins, 
and  bring  us  at  last  to  eternal  life,  through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Amen. 

The  quartette,  Mrs.  E.  Huntington  Henkle,  Mr.  Frank  H. 
Jones,  Mrs.  F.  W.  Wellman  and  Mr.  Charles  S.  CrowelL 
then  chanted 

COME  UNTO  ME.  • 

"(Tome  unto  Me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'' 
"The  spirit  and  the  bride  say  come,  and  let  him  that  heareth  say  come,  and  let 

him  that  thirsteth  come,  and  whosever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life- 

freely." 

i. 

Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  bid'st  me  come  to  Thee, 
O,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come. 
—16 


250  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

II. 

Just  as  I  am,  and  waiting  not 
To  rid  my  soul  of  one  dark  blot, 
To  Thee  whose  blood  can  cleanse  each  spot, 
O,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come. 

m. 

Just  as  I  am  Thou  wilt  receive, 
Wilt  welcome,  pardon,  cleanse,  relieve, 
Because  Thy  promise  I  believe, 
O,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come !    Amen. 

Right  Rev.  George  F.  Seymour,  S.  T.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Bishop  of 
the  diocese  of  Springfield,  on  being  introduced,  delivered  the 
following 

ORATION  : 

Fellow  Citizens,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

I  am  here  at  the  request  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  to  address  you  on  this 
occasion,  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

I  come  to  you  from  duties  multiform  and  onerous,  and  I  must  hasten  to  a  con- 
clusion, because  the  train  will  soon  be  here,  which  will  bear  me  away  to  discharge 
other  duties,  which  await  me  on  the  morrow. 

I  have  had  no  leisure  to  put  on  paper  what  I  am  about  to  say  to  you.  I  must  speak 
without  any  special  preparation,  and  I  must  therefore  crave  your  indulgence,  if 
there  should  appear  that  lack  of  finish  in  my  remarks,  which  time  and  labor  alone 
can  bestow.  Beyond  this  I  have  no  apology  to  offer,  since  I  hold  that  every  American 
citizen  should  be  so  conversant  with  the  history  of  his  native  land,  that  he  ought 
to  be  able,  on  a  moment's  notice  to  give  a  creditable  account  of  himself  on  any 
important  subject,  or  in  reference  to  any  illustrious  character,  to  which  his  atten- 
tion might  be  called.  Especially  should  this  be  the  case  in  regard  to  him,  whose 
memory  we  are  met  to-day  to  honor. 

The  years  are  not  so  many,  nor  have  we  drifted  so  far  away  from  our  civil  war 
"but  that  a  large  proportion  of  us,  who  are  assembled  here,  may  be  able  to  recall  as 
a  part  of  our  personal  experience  the  recollection  of  those  trying  times.  It  would 
be  more  than  a  thrice  told  tale  to  repeat  in  your  hearing  the  story  of  Lincoln's 
life,  and  the  tragic  incidents  of  his  death  ;  it  would  be  superfluous  to  attempt  to 
delineate  his  character,  and  mark  him  off  from  ordinary  men,  by  exhibiting  ihose 
q  alities  and  traits,  which  so  eminently  fitted  him  for  the  position  and  the  trusts 
to  which  God  called  him. 

To  undertake  to  do  any  one  or  all  of  these  things  for  the  benefit  of  the  younger 
portion  of  my  audience  would  now  be  unnecessary,  since  competent  hands  are  en- 
gaged in  preparing  for  the  press  memoirs  of  Lincoln,  which  in  part  are  already  in 
possession  of  the  public,  and  which,  when  completed,  will  leave  scarcely  anything 
to  be  desire  1  in  preserving  for  the  future  a  faithful  and  appreciative  sketch  of  his 
life  and  services. 

We  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  men,  who  with  patient  industry  are  gathering 
from  every  available  source  the  reminiscences  of  others,  and  with  faithful  diligence 
are  adding  their  own  stores  of  personal  information,  and  with  graceful  pens  are 
moulding  the  material  into  a  narrative,  which  from  every  point  of  view,  accuracy 
of  statement^fullness  of  detail,  and  literary  excellence,  has  rarely  been  surpassed. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  251 

Nor  again  need  I  tell  you  how  the  residence  of  Lincoln  in  Springfield  has  asso- 
ciated our  city  with  places  of  earlier  renown,  and  made  it  one  of  the  sacred  spots 
of  the  United  States,  of  which  school  children  will  learn  in  their  geographies  and 
histories,  and  whither  pilgrims  will  come  to  visit  the  home,  where  Lincoln  lived, 
and  the  tomb  where  his  body  reposes  in  death.  We  cannot  forget  that  from  this 
•city,  our  city,  Abraham  Lincoln  went  forth  in  1861,  to  take  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment in  the  darkest  hour  of  our  nation's  history,  and  hold  them  firmly,  and  steadily 
while  the  storm  of  civil  war  prevailed  throughout  our  borders,  and  until  success 
:rested  upon  our  cause,  and  the  preservation  of  our  Union  was  an  assured  fact. 
We  cannot  forget  that  God  permitted  him  to  live  until  the  clouds  were  breaking, 
;and  then,  when  he  could  see  the  promised  land  of  peace  and  prosperity  not  far 
off,  he  fell  by  the  assassin's  bullet,  and  when  all  was  over,  this  city  received, 
amid  a  nation's  tears,  his  mortal  remains  as  a  sacred  trust,  and  holds  them  under 
the  shelter  of  a  noble  monument,  in  the  custo  'y,  from  the  time  it  was  dedicated 
and  down  to  this  hour,  of  a  most  loyal,  devoted  and  sympathetic  guardian,  J.  C. 
Power,  Esq. 

All  this,  we  say,  it  would  be  unnecessary  for  us  to  tell  you  again  to-day.  You 
"have  heard  it  often  before  and  we  may  now  more  profitably  address  ourselves  to 
lessons  useful  for  the  present  and  the  near  future,  suggested  by  a  brief  retrospect 
•of  the  past  crises  in  our  nation's  career. 

1.  Looking  upon  our  country  as  it  presented  itself  to  the  eye  when  first  the 
•white  man  came  hither  for  colonization,  it  was  one  vast  hunting  ground,  roved 
over  by  comparatively  a  few  Indians.    The  first  struggle  was  for  possession  of 
the  soil.    It  seemed  unjust  on  the  one  hand  that  the  natives  should  be  driven  outj 
and  that  strangers  should  come  in,  but  on  the  other  it  seems  even  more  unjust 
that  a  few  savages,  less  in  number  probably  than  the  population  of  Illinois  to-day 
should  hold  a  continent,  not  for  settled  habitation,  or  cultivation,  but  simply  for 
hunting  or  fishing.    In  the  progress  of  events,  we  are  not  urging  that  the  whites 
dealt  fairly  by  their  red  brothers,  but  we  are  saying  that  the  contest  long  drawn 
out  settled  finally  a  principle,  when  our  ancestors,  after  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  demonstrated  the  fact  that  they  came  to  stay,  to  reclaim  the  wilderness, 
and  utilize  the  resources  of  the  country,  the  principle,  namely,  that  the  earth,  to 
the  extent  of  its  ability  to  sustain  man,  is  meant  for  his  occupation.     The  Indian 
wars  of  our  colonial  era  culminated  in  a  supreme  effort  made  by  a  warrior  states- 
man, King  Philip,  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  two  hundred  years  ago 
to  crush  the  whites,  and  drive  them  out  forever.    He  did  his  best,  he  massed  the 
tribes  near  by,  he  sought  to  induce  the  tribes  far  off  to  strike  a  simultaneous 
blow,  he  displayed  rare  tact  and  genius.    He  did  his  best  and  failed,  and  America 
became  the  home  of  the  white  man.     This  point  was  virtually  settled  then     It 
had  cost  our  forefathers  much  more  than  we  can  readily  imagine  or  tell.    It  was 
&  period  of  continual  hostility.    The  foe  was  always  on  their  track.    He  was  in 
anibush  by  the  roadside,  in  the  field,  near  the  meeting  house.    He  came  upon  the 
colonists  unawares  at  all  hours,  and  the  price  of  safety  was  perpetual  vigilance. 
At  last  the  victory  was  won  and  the  continent  was  ours. 

2.  Then  came  a  second  war,  familiarly  known  as  "the  French  and  Indian," 
because  the  French  associated  with  themselves  the  disaffected  Indian  tribes,  and 
sought  to  subdue  the  English  settlers  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  bring  the  en- 
tire country  under  the  dominion  of  France.    The  question  at  issue  was,  shall 
America  be  English  or  French.     The  French  claimed  that  they  were  first  upon 
the  ground,  that  they  had  colonized  Canada  and  established  their  missions  and 


252  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

trading  posts  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  that  in  conse- 
quence all  the  land  was  theirs.  Their  plan  was,  with  their  Indian  allies,  to  close 
in  from  the  north  and  west  and  hem  the  English  in  between  their  guns  and  bay- 
onets and  the  sea,  and  so  compel  them  to  submit.  The  English  resisted,  and 
with  the  aid  of  the  mother  country  in  the  end  made  good  their  resistance,  and 
conquered  France,  and  settled  forever  the  question  that  this  continent  was  to  be 
dominated  by  the  English  and  not  the  French. 

3.  Out  of  this  war,  so  happily  terminated,  arose  the  differences,  which  led 
after  a  few  years  to  what  we  familiarly  call  "The  Revolutionary  War."     The  par- 
ties were  ourselves  and  that  very  Mother  Country,  who  had  so  lately  helped  us 
in  our  conflict  with  France.     England  elaimed  that  as  she  had  been  put  to  great 
expense  in  equipping  armies,  and  sending  them  over  the  ocean  to  assist  us,  we 
ought  in  all  fairness  to  share  in  bearing  the  burden  of  debt,  which  the  late  war 
had  entailed,  and  accordingly  she  proceeded  without  consulting  us,  and  without 
our  consent  to  lay  taxes  upon  us.    The  taxes  were  fairly  laid  upon  articles,  which 
would  reach  the  rich  rather  than  the  poor,  but  the  principle  involved,  taxation 
without  representation,  aroused  the  indignation  of  our  ancestors,  and  for  this,  and 
many  other  grievances,  which  they  recited  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
they  proclaimed  themselves  free,  and  resisted  successfully  the  attempt  of  Great 
Britain  to  coerce  them  into  obedience.    The  result  of  this  war  settled  the  charac- 
ter of  our  institutions,  as  republican,  and  not  monarchical. 

4.  The  Revolutionary  war,  as  concluded  by  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1783,  did  not 
completely  set  to  rest  the  claims  of  Britain  over  us.     She  yielded  the  land,  but 
she  would  not  give  up  the  sea.     She  asserted  her  right,  despite  our  flag  was  flying 
at  the  mast  head,  to  board  our  ships,  and  search  for  English  sailors,  and  if  she 
found,  as  she  supposed,  any  such,  to  drag  them  from  our  decks,  and  impress  them 
into  her  service. 

The  war  of  1812,  which  lasted  three  years,  vindicated  for  us  our  rights  upon 
the  ocean  as  well  as  upon  the,  land,  and  so  our  independence  complete  and  entire 
was  secured. 

5.  The  Mexican  war  involved  the  issue,  whether  we  would  enlarge  our  borders 
beyond  the  limits  of  our  original  territory,  secured  to  us  by  our  success  in  the 
Revolutionary  struggle,  and  acquired  by  purchase  from  France.   The  result  was  in 
the  affirmative,  and  our  southwestern  frontier  was  advanced  far  into  what  had 
been  the  Mexican  domain  by  the  addition  of  California  to  our  Republic. 

6.  W  •  cannot  give  too  much  praise  to  the  statesmen,  who  framed  our  constitu- 
tion.    Considering  the  school  •  n  which  they  had  learned  their  politics,  resistence 
to  the  encroachments  of  centralized  power  from  Great  Britain.     Considering  the 
environment  by  which  they  were  surrounded    in  their  friends  and  allies,  the 
Frenchmen  of  that  day  on  their  march  to  anarchy,  it  is  indeed  wonderful  that  they 
elaborated  an  instrument  so  conservative  and  admirable  in  its  provisions.    The 
surprise  is  that  there  is  so  little  to  criticise.  There  was  one  element  in  our  corporate 
system,  which,  whatever  may  have  been  the  individual  opinions  and  preferences  of 
the  makers  of  our  constitution,  they  were  unable  to  eliminate,  that  element  was 
slavery.     It  was  evil  in  itself  and  evil  in  its  consequences,  but  it  was  everywhere. 
It  existed  in  every  State  from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia.    It  had  been  introduced 
in  colonial  days,  and  represented  a  large  amount  of  what  men  were  pleased  to  call 
"property."     It  would  have  been  impracticable  to  legislate  it  out  of  existence,  or 
ignore  it ;  it  must  be  recognized  negatively,  if  not  positively  in  spite  of  its  absolute 
inconsistency  with  the  emphatically  avowed  principles  of  our  Declaration  of  In- 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  253 

dependence.  Accordingly  it  was  born  with  our  birth  as  a  nation,  and  after  irritat- 
ing our  system  from  our  infancy  up  until  we  were  more  than  three  score  years  and 
ten  old,  it  involved  us  in  our  latest  and  most  distressing  war,  most  distressing,  be- 
cause it  was  a  war  between  brethren. 

We  need  not  trace  the  causes  which  led  up  to  this  most  fearful  outbreak.  We 
hoped,  we  trusted,  we  prayed  that  it  might  not  come,  but  when  the  flag  of  our 
country  was  dishonored  at  Fort  Sumter,  the  great  mass  of,  the  people  in  the 
north  were  united  as  one  man,  and  Springfield  sent  forth  her  Lincoln,  to  be  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  just  as  the  shock  of  the  conflict  began  How  heroic  he 
was,  how  strong,  how  gentle  and  patient,  because  he  was  so  strong,  how  wise  and 
sensible  and  well  balanced  we  all  very  well  know.  It  seemed  as  if  God  had  raised 
him  up  to  be  our  leader  at  this  supreme  exigency  in  our  nation's  career.  We  feel, 
some  of  us,  if  he  had  been  spared  that  the  delicate  task  of  reconstruction  would 
have  been  conducted  on  broader,  sounder  principles,  and  that  wounds  would  have 
sooner  healed  and  fraternal  comity  have  been  sooner  restored. 

As  it  is,  we  are  one  people  now.  Slavery  is  gone,  the  poison  is  expelled  from 
our  system.  Our  constitution  has  been  amended,  history  has  fixed  its  meaning  on 
vital  issues,  which  once  divided  us.  It  seems  as  though  "we  were  destined  to  live 
on  as  a  happy,  united  nation,  but  we  must  not  suppose  that  all  perils  are  past, 
that  all  perplexing  questions  are  settled.  This  in  the  nature  of  things  cannot  be. 
We  are  advancing  with  too  rapid  strides  in  every  element  of  growth  to  lead  an  easy, 
indolent  life,  free  from  care  and  responsibility,  and  possibly  from  struggle.  Already 
Tve  are  in  the  midst  of  social  problems,  whicE  may  assume,  ere  we  are  aware  of  it, 
proportions  and  relations  perilous,  not  only  to  our  political  fabric,  but  to  our 
families  and  homes.  They  involve  the  rel  tion  of  capital  and  labor,  and  deeper 
than  this  they  reach  to  the  very  foundations  of  social  and  domestic  life. 

The  watchword,  we  may  say,  of  this  country  is  labor.  Our  immense  resources 
are  yet,  comparatively  speaking,  undeveloped.  We  have  still  thousands  of  square 
miles  to  appropriate  and  occupy,  forests  to  fell,  cities  to  build,  railroads  to  con- 
struct, mines  to  dig,  ships  to  launch,  besides  providing  supplies  for  the  millions  of 
population  already  dwelling  on  our  soil.  Our  land  invites  the  immigrant  to  come 
here  and  labor,  with  the  promise  of  ample  remuneration  for  his  toil.  In  response, 
they  have  come  in  great  numbers,  and  are  still  pouring  in  with  ever-increasing 
volume.  We  welcome  them,  for  the  most  part,  heartily,  because  they  form  a  valu- 
able contribution  to  our  nation,  and  we  have  to  thank  them  for  having  furnished  us 
with  some  of  our  foremost  men  in  every  sphere  of  life.  But  with  this  most  re- 
spectable and  useful  class  of  immigrants,  there  comes  to  our  shores  the  scum  of 
European  cities,  the  outcasts  of  society,  whose  hearts  are  full  of  hate  for  order, 
and  society,  and  government  of  whatever  name;  whose  hands  are  against  every 
man ;  who  make  war  on  all  settled  institutions — on  marriage,  on  home,  and  on 
t'amily  life ;  who  are  the  foes  of  property,  and  courts  of  justice,  and  penal  restraints; 
who  impiously  say  there  is  no  God — the  anarchists,  the  communists,  the  nihilists, 
the  atheists.  The  danger  lies  not  simply  in  these  men  coming  to  our  soil  to 
dwell ;  it  is  not  simply  the  poison  of  their  presence  and  the  contagion  of  their  ex- 
ample and  speech  which  we  have  reason  to  dread,  but  it  is  that  we  speedily  incor- 
porate them  into  our  system,  we  take  the  virus  into  our  national  blood,  by  giving 
them  the  franchise.  Other  nations  do  not  thus  imperil  their  safety,  nay,  their  very 
existence,  by  allowing  the  avowed  enemies  of  God  and  the  Bible,  and  marriage, 
and  home,  and  the  oath,  and  the  bonds  which  hold  mankind  together,  by  allowing 
them,  I  say,  to  vote,  and  hold  office,  and,  as  far  as  they  can,  control  the  State  for 


254 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


its  destruction,  and  not  for  its  preservation.  Here  lies  our  present  peril,  and  we- 
are  wise  if  we  arouse  ourselves  to  its  threatening  aspect.  Whenever  the  relations, 
of  society  are  strained,  as  now  labor  and  capital  seem  to  be  arrayed  against  each 
other,  in  murmurs,  and  sporadic  acts  of  violence,  and  strikes,  anarchy  takes  ad- 
vantage of  the  occasion  as  its  opportunity,  and  seeks  to  make  matters  worse,  and 
rejoices  in  iniquity.  It  shelters  itself  often  under  organizations,  which,  in  their 
avowed  aims,  seem  beneficent.  It  labors  to  poison  the  minds  of  children  with  its 
diabolical  teaching,  and  corrupt  the  morals  of  women  by  its  infamous  suggestions. 

This  seems  to  be  the  lesson  of  the  day  and  of  the  hour,  my  friends.  It  needs 
the  wisdom,  and  prudence,  and  patience,  and  firmness,  and  gentleness  of  a  Lincoln 
to  grapple  successfully  with  such  a  problem  as  this.  May  these  virtues  be  granted 
to  us  as  a  people,  and  the  strength  to  use  them  in  such  wise  as  to  quell  sedition 
and  every  evil  work,  and  make  us  dwell  together  in  unity  and  safety. 

Let  me  congratulate  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  and,  through  them,  the  city 
of  Springfield  that,  in  the  providence  of  God,  Lincoln  belongs  to  this  city.  Here 
he  won  his  earlier  laurels  as  a  lawyer  and  a  politician.  From  this  place  he  went 
forth,  with  your  plaudits  and  prayers,  to  assume  the  duties  of  the  presidential 
office  in  the  most  trying  hour  of  our  country's  need ;  thither  his  body,  cold  in 
death,  was  borne  back,  amid  your  tears,  to  rest  in  your  lovely  cemetery  until  the 
resurrection.  Staj-s  of  smaller  magnitude  fade,  and  are  lost  to  sight  as  we  recede 
in  distance.  So  with  men  of  lesser  note,  years  obscure  them,  as  we  drift  away 
from  them  in  time.  Springfield  has  its  star,  whose  lustre  will  never  be  dimmed 
and  whose  light  will  never  go  out,  in  the  possession  of  one  of  America's  best  and 
greatest  sons — Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mrs.  Edward  S.  Johnson  then  read  the  poein  by  H.  H.. 
Brownell,  entitled 

ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 

16.  How,  from  gray  Niagara's  shore 

To  Canaveral's  surfy  shoal, — 
From  the  rough  Atlantic  roar 

To  the  long  Pacific  roll ; 
For  bereavement  and  for  dole, 

Every  cottage  wears  its  weed, 
White  as  thine  own  pure  soul, 

And  black  as  the  traitor  deed. 

17.  How,  under  a  nations  pall, 

The  dust  so  dear  in  our  sight, 
To  its  home  on  the  prairie  passed 

The  leagues  of  funeral ; 
The  myriads  morn  and  night, 

Pressing  to  look  their  last. 

18.  And,  me  thinks,  of  all  the  million 

That  looked  on  the  dark  dead  face, 
Neath  its  sable  plumed  pavillion, 

The  crone  of  a  humbler  race. 
Is  saddest  of  all  to  think  on, 

And  the  old  swart  lips  that  said, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  oh  !  he  is  dead. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  255 

For  the  remainder  of  the  foregoing  poem  see  page  162. 
Mrs.  E.  Hunting-ton  Henkle  then  sang, 

THE   TEAR. 

When  grief  and  anguish  press  me  down, 

And  hope  and  comfort  flee, 
I  cling,  O  Father,  to  Thy  throne, 

And  stay  my  heart  on  Thee  ; 
I  cling,  O  Father,  to  Thy  throne, 

And  stay  my  heart  on  Thee. 

When  death  invades  my  peaceful  home ; 

The  sunder'd  ties  shall  be 
A  closer  bond  in  time  to  come, 

To  bind  my  heart  to  Thee, 
To  bind,  to  bind,  to  bind  my  heart  to  Thee. 

Lord,  not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done ! 

My  soul  from  sin  set  free, 
Her  faith  shall  anchor  at  Thy  throne, 

And  trust  alone  in  Thee. 

When  grief  and  anguish  press  me  down, 

And  hope  and  comfort  flee, 
I  cling,  O  Father,  to  Thy  throne, 

I  cling,  I  cling,  and  stay  my  heart  on  Thee ; 
I  cling,  O  Father,  to  Thy  throne, 

I  cling,  and  stay  my  heart  on  Thee. 

Hon.  William  H.  Collins,  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  on  being  intro- 
duced, taking  for  his  subject,  the  life  and  character  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  delivered  the  following 

ORATION. 

The  builder  of  the  planet  upreared  vast  mountain  ranges,  upon  whose  shoulders 
the  continents  repose.  Here  and  there  some  lofty  cone  towers  above  the  wilder- 
ness of  pine  and  granite,  in  such  majestic  grandeur,  that  its  outlines  can  only  be 
measured  from  an  extended  perspective.  Nations  crystalize  about  great  men.  In 
some  crisis,  a  man  arises,  the  magnitude  of  whose  accomplishments  and  the  gran- 
deur of  whose  character,  can  only  be  measured  from  the  standpoint  of  universal 
history.  Only  as  we  comprehend  the  stupendous  drama  of  which  he  was  the 
guiding  genius  and  inspiration,  can  we  appreciate  his  personal  gifts  and  the  ser- 
vice he  wrought  for  the  world.  Such  a  man  was  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  not  only 
served  his  nation  but  the  cause  of  civilization  and  mankind. 

A  rational  philosophy  of  history  is  based  upon  the  conception  of  an  intelligent 
plan  underlying  the  growth  of  society  and  the  development  of  the  race. 


256  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

All  the  phenomena  of  history  are  the  exhibits  of  an  evolution  from  lower  to 
higher  forms.  The  rise  and  fall  of  empires  contribute  to  progress.  Out  of  the 
crucibles  in  which  nations  have  been  reduced  to  ashes  some  residuum  comes  to 
fertilize  and  enrich  the  future.  Through  the  ages  with  their  shifting  scenes  of 
action  and  reaction,  runs  a  definite  purpose.  Society  reaches  toward  its  climax. 
Civilization  is  impatient  of  the  existing  conditions  of  ignorance,  disorder  and  in- 
justice. Far  off,  though  it  may  be,  the  trend  of  historic  forces  is  toward  universal 
self-government,  luminous  with  wisdom,  founded  in  rightousness  and  adminis- 
tered in  a  spirit  of  love.  Only  as  we  recognize  this  stream  of  tendency  which 
leads  to  the 

"One  far  off  divine  event 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves," 

can  we  appreciate  the  genius  and  service  of  him  who  for  a  time  may  have  directed 
its  forces. 

The  problem  of  modern  civilization  is  the  maintenance  of  democracy  or  self- 
government  among  groups  of  men  in  the  harmony  of  a  federal  system.  Abraham 
Lincoln's  crowning  service  was  the  solution  of  this  problem.  What,  then,  is  the 
principle,  its  history  and  his  connection  with  it  ? 

The  individual  is  best  governed  who  governs  himself  in  righteousness.  The 
state  is  best  governed  which  is  self-governed  in  justice.  Such  government  is 
freedom  regulated  by  law.  The  law  which  limits,  protects  freedom.  For  ages, 
war  has  been  the  common  condition  of  mankind.  The  military  type  of  civiliza- 
tion has  prevailed.  Tribal  organizations ,  states,  kingdoms,  empires  has  ever  held 
themselves  ready  for  conflict.  Though  in  some  nations  great  men  have  arisen 
who  were  men  of  genius  in  art,  literature  and  politics,  none  ever  learned  how  to 
hold  self-governing  groups  together  as  a  whole.  The  political  experiments  of 
the  states  of  Greece,  brilliant  as  their  partial  civilization  was,  were  failures  in 
federation,  both  from  their  inherent  incapacity  for  self-government,  and  from 
pressure  from  without. 

The  Roman  Empire  consolidated  many  provinces^with  an  apparent  success,  but 
it  was  a  cential  government  at  the  expense  of  self-government  in  the  provinces. 
It  was  centralization  at  the  cost  of  local  freedom.  The  central  government  was  a 
close  corporation,  which  did  everything  in  its  own  interest.  When  the  temple  of 
Janus  was  closed,  "Pax  Romana"  meant  repression  or  absorption  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  local  liberty.  The  ecclesiastical  authority  which,  in  an  unholy  partnership 
with  the  civil  power,  sought  the  control  of  the  European  States  during  the  middle 
ages,  adopted  the  policy  of  the  Empire,  and  everywhere  repressed  both  civil  and 
religious  freedom. 

The  government  of  diverse  groups  by  representation  and  combined  in  a  central 
government  with  a  written  constitution,  was  the  invention  of  the  English-speak- 
ing people.  Their  insular  position,  protecting  them  from  the  interference  of  con- 
tiguous nations,  while  they  made  their  political  experiments,  made  it  possible, 
But  the  law  of  evolution  demanded  a  stage  commensurate  with  the  magnitude  of 
the  problem.  It  was  provided.  America  was  discovered.  Spain  with  her  incapacity 
to  conceive  of  self-government  much  less  establish  self-governing  colonies  sank 
with  her  "invincible  armada,"  and  ceased  to  be  a  menace  to  civilization.  France 
with  despotic  theories  of  government  was  driven  from  the  new  world  by  the  vic- 
tory of  Wolfe  before  Quebec.  This  was  the  most  significant  event  of  the  18th 
century.  It  was  followed  by  great  historic  results.  A  virgin  territory  of  vast  ex- 
tent was  secured  for  the  use  of  the  people,  who  alone  thus  far  in  history,  had 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  257 

shown  a  capacity  for  self-government.  A  vast  ocean  lay  like  a  moat  about  the 
land,  so  that  people  jealous  of  new  ideas  and  not  in  sympathy  with  free  forms  of 
government,  could  not  interfere.  A  few  savages  only  were  to  be  brushed  away 
from  the  advancing  frontier.  A  fertile  soil  and  bountiful  harvests,  with  peace,  gave 
the  people  leisure  for  the  study  of  the  art  of  government  and  experiments  with 
this  principle. 

The  war  with  the  mother  country  was  unlike  the  war  which  ended  with  the  vic- 
tory of  Wolfe  (a  war  of  two  people  with  antagonistic  ideas),  it  was  a  war  sustained 
by  a  part  of  the  English  people  in  behalf  of  principles  time  has  shown  to  be  equally 
dear  to  all.  It  left  the  people  absolutely  free  to  try  the  experiment  of  Federal 
government.  This  principle  is,  that  States  have  exclusive  jurisdiction  in  their 
local  affairs,  while,  upon  the  questions  of  common  concern  between  groups  of 
States,  decisions  shall  be  reached  by  the  legislation  of  the  central  government 
represented  by  States  and  by  the  whole  people.  It  is  only  by  this  principle  that 
it  is  possible  to  hold  together  groups  of  men  spread  over  vast  areas,  with  diverse 
local  interests,  in  orderly  and  peaceful  relations,  without  a  sacrifice  of  their-  free- 
dom. The  adoption  of  this  principle,  and  the  working  of  it  into  the  Constitution 
of  the  Government,  was  the  most  perfect  piece  of  constructive  statesmanship  the 
world  ever  saw.  Gladstone  might  well  say :  "  The  American  Constitution  is,  as 
far  as  I  can  see,  the  most  wonderful  work  ever  struck  off  at  a  given  time  by  the 
brain  and  purpose  of  man." 

As  it  was  the  task  of  the  fathers  of  the  Republic  to  inaugurate  this  principle,  it 
became  the  work  of  Lincoln  to  carry  it  through  a  crucial  and  exhaustive  test. 

He  could  not  have  had  a  grander  opportunity  or  a  more  conspicuous  theater  of 
action.  It  would  seem  that  the  institution  of  slavery  was  introduced  into  this 
country  by  Providence,  so  that  the  Federal  principle  might  be  subjected  to  a  su- 
preme trial.  Only  such  an  interest  could  ever  have  inspired  eleven  States  with  a 
supreme  devotion  to  the  heresy  of  "  States  Rights."  This  enlisted  their  pride  of 
patriotism  and  the  consecration  of  their  religion.  For  this  they  organized  their 
entire  military  power  as  a  unit.  For  this  they  organized  all  the  moral  and  physi- 
cal power  of  caste  prejudice,  intensified  by  the  strongest  possible  contrasts  of 
color  and  physical  feature,  deepened  by  the  intellectual  and  moral  debasement  of 
centuries  of  barbarism. 

These  States  had  been  governed  by  men  who  for  long  years  had  a  definite  and 
determined  policy  of  nationalizing  slavery,  with  secession  and  the  overthrow  of 
the  Federal  princeiple  as  the  alternative.  They  held  close  economic  relations  to 
England  and  hoped  for  her  naval  support.  Even  among  his  closest  advisers,  there 
were  those  who  were  in  doubt  about  the  right  of  coercion  of  a  State  by  the  cen- 
tral government.  It  was  somewhat  of  a  problem  whether  the  great  mass  of  .the 
people  would  fight  for  the  principle.  There  never  was  a  greater  problem  or  a 
severer  task.  Yet  Mr.  Lincoln  organized  the  moral  and  material  resources  of  the 
country,  beyond  all  the  precedents  of  history,  and  achieved  an  absolute  victory. 

Many  ardent  haters  of  slavery  were  impatient  with  him  because  he  put  the  main- 
tenance of  the  Union  first.  Time  has  shown  his  deeper  wisdom.  The  destruction 
of  slavery  was  incidental.  He  knew  that  if  the  Union  was  preserved,  with  the 
principle  of  local  self-government,  emancipation  would  be  the  sure  result.  Eman- 
cipation was  a  priceless  blessing.  But  more  vitally  interwoven  into  the  very  fiber 
of  the  national  life  was  this  principle  of  Union,  with  local  independence.  Would 
it  be  overthrown  by  the  first  serious  social  problem  it  had  to  meet,  or  would  it  be 
an  example  of  a  successful  experiment  in  self-government  to  other  ages  and  all 
lands? 


258  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

1  If  the  adoption  of  this  principle  is  essential  to  freedom,  peace  and  the  highest 
civilization,  then  the  war,  terrible  as  it  was,  was  worth,  to  the  nation  and  the 
world,  the  blood  and  treasure  of  generations.  Mr.  Lincoln  so  believed.  He  be- 
lieved that  victory,  so  purchased,  would  be  the  earnest  of  the  future  peace  and 
freedom  of  mankind.  As  expressive  of  his  theory  of  the  war,  and  of  his  belief 
that  this  principle  was  the  issue,  what  more  conclusive  than  his  own  words  of 
matchless  eloquence  on  the  battlefield  of  Gettysburg  : 

"  It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us, 
that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for  which 
they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion,  that  we  here  highly  resolve  that 
these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain ;  that  this  nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a 
new  birth  of  freedom,  and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  for  the 
people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

In  his  letter  to  Mr.  Greely  he  said :  "My  paramount  object  is  to  save  the 
Union  and  not  either  to  save  or  to  destroy  slavery.  If  I  could  save  the  Union 
without  freeing  any  slave  I  would  doit.  If  I  could  save  it  by  freeing  all  the 
slaves,  I  would  do  it,  and  if  I  could  save  it  by  freeing  some  and  leaving  others 
alone,  I  would  also  do  that.  I  intend  no  modification  of  my  oft  expressed  per- 
sonal wish  that  all  men  everywhere  might  be  free." 

The  victory  of  this  principle  in  its  supreme  test,  marks  an  epoch  in  history.  As 
the  ages  recede,  it  will  be  more  and  more  sharply  defined.  And  he  who  guided  its 
progress  and  made  it  triumphant,  will  be  the  man  of  the  epoch. 

When  there  is  to  be  a  marked  movement  of  progress,  Providence  always  raises 
a  man  for  the  task.  Such  an  one  was  the  Semitic  genius  who  came  up  out  of  the 
swamps  of  the  Nile,  to  organize  a  swarm  of  slaves  into  a  nation.  Such  was 
Socrates — out  of  his  poverty  enriching  the  world  as  the  father  of  intellectual  life. 
Such  was  the  carpenter's  Son — who  established  the  spiritual  republic  of  God,  with 
liberty  and  love  as  its  law.  Such  was  Luther — who  broke  the  shackles  which  des- 
potism forged  for  the  human  intellect.  Such  was  Shakespeare — who  translated 
the  world's  wisdom  into  matchless  song  and  filled  it  with  music.  Such  was 
Washington — who  organized  peasants  into  armies,  and  won  the  victories  of 
progress  and  of  peace.  Such  was  Lincoln — solving  the  profoundest  problem  of 
civilization  and  touching  with  the  leaven  of  peace  and  freedom  the  life  of  the 
race.  For  I  do  not  doubt  that  as  self-government  in  righteousness  is  the  highest 
law  of  the  individual  life,  so  self-government  in  justice,  among  the  nations,  is  the 
highest  law  of  national  life.  Evolution  working  by  this  principle  and  under  the 
Divine  direction,  justifies  the  expectation  that  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  yet 
disband  their  armies  and  abandon  the  military  for  the  industrial  type  of  civiliza- 
tion. Disputes  will  not  be  settled  by  war.  The  wage  of  battle  will  be  as  obsolete 
between  nations  as  between  individuals.  International  questions  will  be  settled 
by  federal  tribunals.  Their  decisions  will  be  sustained  by  the  public  opinion  of 
the  world. 

All  possible  groups  of  men  developed  to  the  self-governing  grade,  will  combine 
under  federal  systems  and  attain  the  largest  possible  life.  The  wonderful 
weapons  of  modern  warfare,  the  immense  s  ructures  of  military  art  on  land  and 
sea,  will  be  gazed  on  with  wonder  as  the  monuments  of  a  civilization  long  passed 
away.  As  history  develops  along  this  line  towards  this  consummation ;  above  the 
levels  of  common  humanity,  across  the  intervening  distances  of  history,  the  ser- 
vice and  fame  of  Lincoln,  will  stand  out  in  glorious  majesty  as  the  mountain. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  259 

stands  out  from  the  interminable  forests,  its  grand  lines  clearly  defined  and  its 
sublime  peak,  by  day,  bright  with  the  splendor  of  the  sun ;  at  night  crowned  with 
the  stars ! 

Emerson  says,  that  when  the  Architect  of  the  Universe  has  points  to  carry  in 
his  government  he  expresses  himself  in  the  structure  of  minds. 

I  shall  briefly  allude  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  personal  endowments. 

He  had  the  power  of  seeing  truth  with  the  clearness  of  absolute  vision.    He  saw 
principles  in  their  prof oundest  and  largest  relations.    As  the  eye  is  made  for  light, 
his  mind  was  made  to  comprehend  truth.    Truth  was  to  him 
"A  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  forever." 

In  his  earliest  intellectual  awakening,  the  theorems  of  Euclid  were  his  favorite 
study.  The  mental  exercise  of  solving  these  by  original  solution,  was  to  him  a 
sort  of  creative  ecstaey.  I  saw  him  once  when  the  simple  statement  of  a  scientific 
truth  new  to  him,  kindled  him  with  child-like  enthusiasm,  which  flashed  in  his 
eye  and  suffused  his  face  with  a  radiant  glow.  His  humor  was  the  relief  which 
comes  in  waving  and  undulatory  lines  to  a  mind  which  first  sees  things  with 
absolute  directness,  on  "the  shortest  line  between  two  points."  He  relished 
stories  because  they  were  diagrams  which  pictorially  illustrated  truth.  To  him  all 
visible  things  were  language.  He  saw  through  things  to  principles.  When  the 
politician  wove  his  sophistries  and  delusions  to  tangle  the  public  mind  for  the  sake 
of  cheap  and  temporary  results,  he  cut  through  to  the  fundamental  principle.  So 
he  showed  the  difference  between  a  politician  and  statesman.  As  a  bee,  guided  by- 
divine  instinct  over  all  the  fields,  gathers  its  treasure;  so  he,  amid  all  the  illusion^ 
confusions,  sophistries,  passionate  enthusiasms,  party  cries  and  tangling  subtleties- 
could  ever  discern  the  truth,  A  lie  or  a  sophism  was  revolting  to  his  soul.  The 
spirit  of  truth  led  him  upward  to  the  loftiest  elevation  and  clearest  atmosphere  of 
intellectual  life,  as  in  Dante's  great  poem,  the  poet  is  led  by  the  gentle  and  sainted' 
Beatrice,  who  comes  from  heaven  to  be  his  help;  and  through  all  the  ascents  of 
paradise,  interprets  for  him  all  truth  and  leads  him  from  star  to  star. 

He  had  also  the  prophetic  quality  of  mind.  The  logical  and  prophetic  gift  are 
closely  associated,  if  not  one.  The  intellect  which  sees  truth  in  its  absolute  rela- 
tions sees  equally  its  logical  applications,  hence  it  sees  not  only  its  relations  to 
the  present,  but  to  the  future.  Like  Moses,  Mahomet,  and  others,  he  had  the 
prophetic  preparation.  Great  heroes  come  out  of  the  wilderness  to  society;  not 
out  of  universities.  The  loftiest  peak  rests  on  invisible  pillars  in  the  common 
earth.  Genius  comes  from  the  common  people.  Epochal  heroes  come  from  the 
life  of  the  shepherd  and  the  frontiersman.  Face  to  face  with  themselves  and  with 
God  in  nature,  they  learn  the  heart  of  God  and  the  heart  of  man,  and  can  speak 
from  one  to  the  other.  In  solitude,  great  souls  are  visited  with  great  thoughts  and 
become  conscious  of  a  mission  to  men.  As  the  Hebrew  came  down  from  -the- 
mountion,  his  face  luminous  with  the  reflected  light  of  the  mysterious  theophany 
he  had  witnessed,  Lincoln  came  from  the  rude  wilds  of  the  Sangamon,  with  the 
light  of  a  divine  vision  in  his  soul.  He  had  met  face  to  face,  the  triune  theophany 
of  eternal  truth,  justice  and  love.  Henceforth,  his  life  was  under  the  spell  of  ai 
sublime  consecration.  Henceforth,  he  felt  the  sovereignty  of  conscience.  Right 
and  wrong  rose  up  in  his  mind  in  sharp  and  eternal  contrast.  Without  any  sub- 
tleties of  philosophy  he  appealed  to  the  moral  sense  and  the  common  sense  of  the 
people,  assailing  wrong  with  a  terrible  earnestness.  He  seemed  to  have  no  per- 
sonal ends.  Fortune,  honor,  fame,  was  nothing.  Truth,  right,  justice,  was  every- 
thing. And  so  when  his  greatest  task  began,  he  seemed  only  to  seek  to  establish 


260  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

in  the  hearts  of  the  people  a  love  for  the  federal  union  with  all  its  implications  of 
justice  and  liberty.  His  grasp  of  the  real  issue,  his  prophetic  vision  of  results,  his 
lucid  analysis,  his  axiomatic  statement,  his  elevation  of  thought,  the  overmaster- 
ing energy  of  his  large  and  magnetic  nature,  gathered  men  about  him  as  a  leader. 
He  loved  men  as  men.  No  splendor  of  position,  advantage  of  relation,  persistence 
or  plausibility  of  claim,  could  blind  him  to  absolute  justice.  His  insight  pierced 
to  the  heart  of  things  and  men.  .  The  hearts  of  men  were  his  books.  Events  were 
his  instructors.  To  the  mass  of  men,  the  stars  are  stars  and  nothing  more. 
Kepler  climbed  the  ladder  of  their  rays  and  read  their  secret,  the  law  of  their  life 
and  motion.  To  Lincoln,  men  were  not  mere  units  and  nothing  more,  but  per- 
sonal centers  of  thought,  passion,  joy,  hope,  aspiration  and  despair,  and  he  entered 
into  sympathy  with  them.  His  heart  was  timed  to  beat  with  the  heart  of  man- 
kind, and  so  he  lived  and  thought  and  wrought  for  man  as  man.  Like  a  bugle 
blast  sounding  a  charge,  was  his  utterance  on  the  eve  of  the  war.  Uttered  at  this 
Capitol,  they  make  it  seem  as  Holy  Ground.  "The  doctrine  of  self-government  is 
right,  absolutely  and  eternally  right.  When  the  white  man  governs  himself,  that 
is  self-government,  but  when  he  governs  himself  and  also  governs  another  man, 
that  is  more  than  self-government,  that  is  despotism." 

"  Slavery  is  founded  in  the  selfishness  of  man's  nature,  opposition  to  it  in  his 
love  of  justice.  These  principles  are  in  eternal  antagonism .  I  object  to  it  (the 
Nebraska  Law),  because  it  assumes  this,  that  there  can  be  right  in  the  enslave- 
ment of  one  man  by  another.  I  object  to  it  as  a  dangerous  dalliance  for  a  free 
people  ;  a  sad  evidence  that,  feeling  prosperity,  we  forget  right ;  that  liberty,  as  a 
principle,  we  have  ceased  to  revere . " 

"  Our  republican  robe  is  soiled  and  trailed  in  the  dust.  Let  us  repurify  it,  let  us 
turn  and  wash  it  white  in  the  spirit,  if  not  in  the  blood,  of  the  revolution.  Let  us 
turn  slavery  from  its  claims  of  moral  right  back  upon  its  existing  legal  rights  and 
its  arguments  of  necessity.  Let  us  re-adopt  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
and  practices  and  policies  which  harmonize  with  it.  If  we  do  this,  we  shall  not 
only  save  the  Union,  but  we  shall  have  so  saved  it  as  to  make  and  keep  it  forever 
worthy  of  the  saving .  We  shall  have  so  saved  it  that  the  succeeding  millions  of 
free,  happy  people  the  world  over  shall  rise  up  and  call  us  blessed  to  the  latest 
generations . " 

These  words  will  be  wisdom  and  music  while  the  ages  come  and  go.  Like  dia- 
monds gathered  in  the  fields  of  thought  by  the  thinker  from  the  wilderness,  pol- 
ished to  exquisite  perfection  by  the  touch  of  his  genius,  they  will  shine  and  sparkle 
in  the  diadem  of  his  fame  forever. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  the  gift  of  wisdom.  Men  may  have  much  knowledge  but  no 
wisdom.  He  had  the  highest  genius  for  statesmanship — common  sense.  It  was 
this  common  sense  which,  in  the  Babel  of  many  voices,  the  fun'  and  confusion  of 
war,  could  ever  detect  the  "still  small  voice"  of  wisdom.  He  saw,  as  a  funda- 
mental principle,  that  a  policy,  to  succeed,  must  have  the  support  of  public  opinion. 
It  was  this  common  sense  which,  beyond  other  gifts,  helped  him  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem. He  had  to  direct  the  unwise  zeal  of  friends  and  the  jealousy  of  rivals,  the 
treason  of  covert  enemies  and  schemes  of  foreign  nations,  while  he  encountered 
the  most  persistent  and  powerfully  organized  military  force  of  all  time.  He  had 
to  harmonize  all  varieties  of  opinion — love  for  the  Union,  hatred  for  slavery.  He 
had  to  repress  anti-slavery  zeal.  He  had  to  yield  doubtful  points  and  gain  the 
advantages  of  compromise  without  concessions  of  principle.  He  comprehended 
the  temper  and  prejudices  of  the  people,  and  led  them  while  he  seemed  to  follow. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  261 

To  the  over-zealous,  he  seemed  slow.  To  the  conservative,  rash.  Those  who 
thought  only  of  emancipation  feared,  at  times,  that  he  was  disloyal  to  liberty. 
He  knew  that  premature  action  in  the  direction  of  emancipation  would  cripple  his 
armies.  A  logical  result  of  the  straggle,  he  knew  it  could  abide  its  time.  The 
exquisite  delicacy  of  adjustment  of  his  policy  to  the  development  of  public  senti- 
ment, under  the  stern  tutelage  of  war,  will  ever  challenge  the  admiration  of  man- 
kind. He  followed  it,  yet  he  led  it.  He  restrained  it,  yet  he  nourished  it.  He 
curbed  it,  yet  he  crowned  it.  In  relation  to  which  we  may  apply  the  simile  of 
the  poet : 

"  As  unto  the  bow  the  cord  is, 

So  unto  man  is  woman. 

Though  she  bends  him.  she  obeys  him  ? 

Though  she  draws  him,  yet  she  follows." 

He  was,  in  the  largest  sense,  a  religious  man.  Loyalty  to  the  law  of  rectitude 
and  love  is  the  consummate  and  perfect  flower  of  religion.  He  sought  absolute 
harmony  with  his  environment.  Not  that  he  accepted,  as  a  complete  explanation 
of  life,  the  tenets  of  any  sect,  but  he  had  that  absolute  loyalty  to  the  Highest 
•which  transcends  creeds  and  forms. 

"  Our  little  systems  have  their  day, 
They  have  their  day  and  cease  to  be." 

He  walked  with  God.  He  was  so  much  larger  than  other  men  that,  in  his  high- 
est, he  needed  God  for  a  companion .  All  the  world's  greatest  men  have  had  a 
reverent  spirit  and  believed  that  the  Supreme  mind  worked  and  spake  through 
them.  Lincoln  felt,  with  reverent  awe,  that  he  was  an  instrument  of  the  divine 
purpose.  So  absolute  was  his  loyalty  that  the  perfection  and  strength  of  his  action 
was  one  with  the  lift  of  the  tides  and  the  roll  of  the  world.  Under  his  grand  life 
was  ever  the  solid  earth ;  over  it,  the  arch  of  the  infinite  heaven.  He  stood  firmly 
on  the  one ;  he  looked  steadfastly  into  the  other.  When  deputations  of  good  men, 
representing  their  orders  or  sects,  presented  to  him  their  measures  of  duty  and 
their  standards  of  action,  he  listened ;  but  all  the  while,  at  the  other  end  of  the 
line,  he  was  in  converse  with  God  as  his  chosen  son,  and  from  whom,  in  the  con- 
fidence of  mutual  trust,  he  received  his  commissions.  What  finer  scorn  and  fiery 
moral  anger  than  his  at  the  slightest  hint  of  unfaith.  "  There  have  been  men  base 
enough  to  propose  to  me  to  return  to  slavery  our  black  warriors  of  Port  Hudson 
and  Olustee,  and  thus  win  the  respect  of  the  maste  s  they  fought.  Should  I  do 
so,  I  would  deserve  to  be  damned  in  time  and  eternity.  Come  what  will,  I  will 
keep  my  faith  with  friend  and  foe." 

It  sometimes  seems  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  an  actual  character,  but  an  incar- 
nation or  embodiment  of  the  nation's  spirit  and  life.  If  at  any  period  during  the 
war,  the  question  had  been  asked,  how  does  the  loyal  element  of  the  nation  feel  ? 
What  does  it  seek  ?  What  is  its  spirit  ?  The  answer  would  have  been  found  in 
his  mind  and  heart.  As  the  nation  thought,  he  thought ;  and  as  it  felt,  he  felt ;  he 
was  timed  to  its  spirit  and  in  affinity  with  its  inmost  secret.  The  North  was  not 
warlike  by  nature,  nor  was  he  ;  it  shrank  from  prosecuting  the  war,  but  it  con- 
scientiously persisted  to  the  end ;  so  did  he.  He  was  the  key  to  the  war.  He 
moderated  passion,  and  kept  pity  and  humanity  at  the  front.  He  was  not  rigid  in 
discipline,  for  the  army  was  fighting  its  own  battles. 

With  clmrity  for  all  and  malice  toward  none  he  fought  with  his  great  heart 
brooding  over  the  whole  nation,  and  with  tears  of  love  and  compassion  for  both 


262  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

sides.  Civil  wars  are  generally  vindictive.  He  was  tender  hearted  and  had  infinite 
patience.  He  looked  upon  all  men  in  weakness  or  in  wrong,  with  a  pity,  profound 
to  the  degree  of  melancholy. 

,  Helen  of  Argo  had  such  universal  beauty  that  everybody  felt  related  to  her. 
There  was  significance  in  the  popular  expression,  "  Father  Abraham."  The  nation 
felt  for  him  filial  affection.  While  the  dutiful  sons  fought  for  the  integrity  of  the 
home,  it  was  only  a  question  of  time,  when  the  foolish  prodigals,  their  heritage 
wasted,  would  come  to  themselves  and  return. 

"N\  ith  as  strong  an  arm  as  ever  struck  for  the  right ;  with  as  clear  an  eye  as  ever 
took  in  this  world ;  with  as  keen  an  eye  and  just  a  judgment  as  ever  weighed 
human  life  ;  with  as  pure  a  heart  as  ever  throbbed  with  human  sympathy ;  he  saved 
his  nation,  freed  the  slaves,  established  the  principle  on  which  alone  the  nations  of 
the  earth  can  dwell  in  peace  and  freedom,  and  so  solved  the  problem  of  civiliza- 
tion. t 

The  man  by  whose  monument  we  stand  has  been  lifted  by  his  service  and 
character  up  out  of  a  single  nation's  homage  and  love.  He  belongs  to  mankind. 
The  granite  will  crumble.  The  beautiful  and  eloquent  bronzes  will  vanish  under 
the  touch  of  time  and  change  ;  but  the  beauty  of  his  devotion,  the  grandeur  of  his 
service  and  the  exaltation  of  his  life  will  forever  hold  the  heart  of  mankind,  and  no 
shadow  will  ever  dim  the  splendor  of  his  fame. 

Clinton  L.  Conkling,  one  of  our  members,  then  read  a  brief 
historical  paper  on  the  labors  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor, 
in  guarding  against  any  further  attempts  that  might  be 
made  to  steal  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  A  full  history 
of  the  attempt  that  was  made,  is  recorded  in  the  sixth 
division  of  this  volume,  beginning  on  page  seventy-five. 

Mrs.  E.  Huntington  Henkle  and  Mr.  Frank  H.  Jones,  then 
sang  the  duet 

ABIDE  WITH  ME. 

I. 

Abide  with  me!  fast  falls  the  eventide, 
The  darkness  deepens — Lord,  with  me  abidel 
When  other  helpers  fail,  and  comforts  flee. 
Help  of  the  helpless,  oh,  abide  with  me. 

n. 

Swift  to  the  close  ebbs  out  life's  little  day ; 
Earths  joys  grow  dim,  its  glories  pass  away; 
Change  and  decay  in  all  around  I  see; 
O,  thou  who  changest  not,  abide  with  me! 

in. 

I  need  Thy  presence  each  passing  hour, 
What  but  Thy  grace  can  foil  the  tempter's  power? 
Who,  like  Thyself,  my  guide  and  stay  can  be  ?  * 
Thro'  cloud  and  sunshine,  oh,  abide  with  me! 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  203 

IV. 

Hold  Thou  Thy  cross  before  my  closing  eyes; 
Shine  through  the  gloom,  and  point  me  to  the  skies; 
Heaven's  morning  breaks,  and  earth's  vain  shadows  flee! 
In  life,  in  death,  O  Lord,  abide  with  me! 

Rev.  D.  S.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church,  was  on  the  programme,  but  sickness  pre- 
vented his  being  present.  Rev.  Francis  Springer,  on  being 
invited  to  do  so,  offered  the  following  very  appropriate 

PRAYER    AND  BENEDICTION. 

Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven,  to  Thee  is  our  thought  in  reverend  words  of 
worship.  We  thank  Thee  for  this  auspicious  occasion  which  awakens  in  us  the 
memory  of  the  innumerable  and  rich  blessings  with,  which  Thou  hast  favored  us 
and  the  land  wherein  Thou  hast  given  us  inheritance. 

Thou,  O  God,  dost  wisely  and  beneficently  hold  sceptre  over  the  nations.  With 
sincere  and  devout  thanksgiving  we  gladly  accept  the  truth  that  Thou  art  our 
God,  the  Father  of  this  National  Republic,  the  most  equitable,  humane,  and  be- 
loved government  on  earth. 

In  all  the  trying  experiences  of  this  Nation,  Thou,  Heavenly  Father,  hast  raised 
up  able,  brave,  upright  and  patriotic  men  to  lead  in  statesmanship,  to  command 
the  armies,  land  to  give  their  lives  if  required,  for  the  deliverance  of  the  Nation 
and  to  perpetuate  political  and  religious  liberty  and  equal  rights  among  men.  We 
thank  Thee  for  the  bright  galaxy  of  heroic  and  virtuous  characters  which  adorn 
the  pages  of  our  history; — for  the  Washington  who  broke  the  sword  of  the  oppres- 
sor and  led  on  our  forefather's  to  National  independence; — for  the  Abraham  Lin- 
coln whose  gentle,  courageous  and  wise  spirit  inspired  his  countrymen  to  preserve 
and  continue  the  National  Union  which  their  fathers  had  begun,  and  to  widen  the 
area  of  freedom. 

0,  Dear  Father  in  heaven,  be  Thou  always  our  shepherd.  May  Thy  presence 
never  cease,  as  a  conscious  and  precious  influence  in  the  minds  of  all  our  people, 
to  the  end  that,  with  increasing  generations,  they  may  be  increasingly  upright  and 
loyal  to  Thy  throne;  and  that  this  Christian  country — land  of  the  free  and  home  of 
the  brave, — may  ever  be  the  mo/ning  star  of  hope  and  happiness  to  all  the  world. 

And  unto  Thee,  Divine  Parent,  be  due  homage,  obedience  and  love,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 

THE  LINCOLN  GTJABD  OF  HONOR, 

AT  THE  LELAND  HOTEL, 
Friday,  April  22,  1887,  8  oclock  P.  M. 

Present — Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson,  Wiggins,  Chapin 
and  Conkling. 


264  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Absent — Dana  and  McNeill,  both  out  of  the  State. 

Vice-President  Reece  called  the  meeting  to  order. 

Reading  of  minutes  of  last  meeting,  which  was  our  eighth 
Lincoln  Memorial  Day,  was  dispensed  with. 

All  bills  for  expenses  connected  with  our  last  memorial  ser- 
vice, amounting  to  $45,  were  audited  and  ordered  to  be  paid. 

Adjourned. 

J.  C.  POWER,  Secretary. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR, 
LELAND  HOTEL,  Monday,  Feb.  13,  1888—8  o'clock  P.  M., 

(Sunday,  the  12th,  being  the  Anniversary.) 
NINTH  ANNUAL  MEETING. 

Present — Dana,  Reece,  Power,  Lindley,  Johnson  and  Wiggins. 

Absent — McNeill,  at  his  home  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa;  Cha.pin, 
at  his  home  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois;  Conkling,  at  his  home 
in  this  city,  convalescing  after  sickness. 

Minutes  of  the  last  meeting  read  and  approved. 

On  motion  of  J.  C.  Power,  it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  entire  nine  members — Gustavus  S.  Dana,  Jasper  N.  Keece, 
John  Carroll  Power,  Joseph  P.  Lindley,  Edward  S.  Johnson,  James  F.  McNeill, 
Noble  B.  Wiggins,  Horace  Chapin  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling— be,  and  they  are 
hereby  elected  a  board  of  directors,  to  serve  one  year,  or  until  their  successors  are 
chosen. 

The  board  of  directors  proceeded  to  organize  by  reflecting 
the  outgoing  officers  for  one  year,  or  until  their  successors. 
are  chosen.  The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of 

G.  S.  Dana,  President. 
J.  N.  Reece,  Yice-President. 
J.  C.  Power,  Secretary. 
J.  P.  Lindley,  Treasurer. 

The  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted : 

WHEREAS,  The  members  of  our  Society,  after  the  attempt  of  demons  in  human 
form  to  steal  the  body  of  our  martyred  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  that  they 
might,  by  the  possession  of  it,  extort  gain,  having,  at  the  suggestion  of  an  officer 
of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  first  made  the  remains  temporarily  secure, 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  265 

we  organized  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois  as  The  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor,  that  we  might  more  effectually  guard  against  any  further  attempts  that 
might  be  made  by  vandal  hands  to  rob  his  tomb  ;  and 

WHEREAS,  It  was  obviously  indispensable  that  we  should  shield  the  real  ob- 
jects of  our  origination  from  the  public  as  the  only  sure  way  of  accomplishing 
them,  for  that  reason  one  of  them  was  made  to  institute  and  maintain  memorial 
services  on  the  anniversaries  of  his  birth  and  death  ;  and 

WHEREAS,  We  have  eight  times,  from  1880  to  1887,  inclusive,  arranged  for  and 
conducted,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  death,  each,  an  increasingly  beautiful  and 
impressive  memorial  service,  so  that  the  day  has  become  known  as  Lincoln  Me- 
morial Day ;  and 

WHEREAS,  The  exhuming  of  the  body  of  President  Lincoln,  by  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor,  from  the  grave  where  they  had  secretly  buried  it  years  before, 
and  delivering  it,  April  14,  1887,  to  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association,  before  whom 
it  was  identified,  as  attested  by  a  large  number  of  witnesses,  and  the  burial  of  it 
with  that  of  his  wife,  in  our  presence,  in  a  receptacle  prepared  under  the  supervision 
of  our  Secretary  (eft  the  Custodian  of  the  monument),  and  encasing  them  in  con- 
crete six  by  five  feet  and  a  half,  and  eight  feet  long,  with  a  wall  one  foot  and  a  half 
thick  of  hard  burned  brick,  laid  in  Portland  cement,  around  that,  making  the  whole 
equal  to  a  solid  mass  of  stone  six  feet  deep,  eight  and  a  half  feet  wide  and  eleven 
feet  long,  terminates  our  labors  and  responsibilities ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  the  directors  and  officers  elected  at  this  meeting,  being  for  one 
year  or  until  their  successors  are  chosen,  we  will  consider  their  term  of  office  per- 
petual, if  there  is  not  another  election ;  that  we  will  retain  our  oganization  under 
its  corporate  name  as  long  as  there  is  a  member  living,  and  will  meet  for  social  or 
other  purposes  on  the  call  of  any  two  members,  or  on  the  death  of  a  member,  as 
it  was,  early  in  our  history,  mutually  agreed  that  upon  the  death  of  any  member, 
the  survivors  will  act  as  pall-bearers. 

Resolved,  That  we  will  not  again  conduct  Lincoln  Memorial  Services,  but  will 
leave  that  to  the  citizens,  or  to  a  new  society  under  another  name,  and  we  will 
heartily  join,  as  citizens,  on  any  Lincoln  Memorial  Day  that  they  may  inaugurate- 
Resolved,  That  our  Secretary  be,  and  he  is  hereby  instructed,  to  have  a  neat 
casket  made,  of  sufficient  size  to  contain  our  record  book,  certificate  of  incorpora- 
tion, seal  and  press,  gavel  made  of  live  oak  from  the  steam  ship  of  war  Kearsarge, 
crimson  silk  velvet  collar  covered  with  patriotic  emblems  in  gold,  sent  to  our  Sec- 
retary by  friends  of  Lincoln  in  California,  as  a  mark  of  their  approval  of  his  efforts 
as  Custodian  to  protect  the  tomb  from  desecration,  and  any  papers  that  it  may  be 
desirable  to  preserve — put  all  in  the  casket  and  keep  it  in  Memorial  Hall  of  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument,  that  they  may  be  left  there  as  mementoes  when  we 
cease  to  use  them.  On  the  death  of  any  member,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  any  sur- 
viving member  or  members  to  see  that  the  fact  is  entered  on  our  record  book. 

On  motion  of  J.  P.  Lindley,  it  was  resolved  that  we  now 
adjourn. 

J.  C.  POWER,  Secretary. 


266  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 


MEMBEESHIP  OF  THE  LINCOLN  GUAED  OF  HONOE. 


Before  closing  the  account  of  our  labors,  it  is  thought  to 
be  no  more  than  is  due  to  all  parties  that  a  brief,  individual 
statement  concerning  each  of  our  members  should  be  placed 
upon  record;  therefore  the  following  sketches  are  prepared, 
beginning  with  our  President. 

GUSTAVUS  SULLIVAN  DANA. 

Gustavus  S.  Dana  was  born  October  3,  1839,  at  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  his  parents  having,  not  long  previous,  moved 
there  from  Worcester  county,  Massachusetts. 

From  some  time  in  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, the  name  of  Dana  has  been  quite  numerous  in  the 
New  England  States,  and  is  borne  by  many  men  distinguished 
for  literary,  scientific  and  professional  attainments.  They 
were  patriots  also;  many  of  them  served  their  country  in 
diplomacy,  statesmanship,  or  as  soldiers.  Mr.  Joshua  Hill, 
the  maternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army  from  the  colony  of  Massa- 
chusetts. He  served  under  General  Sullivan,  which  fact  is 
commemorated  in  the  Christian  name  of  Mr.  Dana. 

G.  S.  Dana  came  to  Illinois  with  his  father's  family  in  1855, 
and  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  to  the  trade  of 
a  machinist,  in  Springfield.  He  returned  to  Hartford  in  1858, 
and  was  quietly  working  at  his  trade  when  the  rebellion 
opened.  He  enlisted  there,  April  18,  1861,  in  the  First  Regi- 
ment  Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three  months.  At 
the  end  of  that  term  of  service,  he  again  enlisted  in  the 
Sixth  Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry  for  three  years.  In 
that  regiment  he  became  sergeant-major,  second  lieutenant 
and  first  lieutenant.  Lieutenant  Dana  was  promoted  March 
-3,  1863,  to  captain  in  the  Signal  Corps  of  the  United  States 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  f  267 

Army.  He  served  in  that  position  until  September  21,  1864, 
when,  in  consequence  of  failing;  health,  he  resigned. 

Gustavus  S.  Dana  and  Miss  Alice  Overand  were  married, 
July  12,  1864,  at  Hartford,  Conn.  In  October,  1865,  they 
moved  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  twenty-two  years,  until  the  spring  of  1887. 
Prom  the  autumn  of  1887,  for  about  one  year,  he  was  su- 
perintendent of  one  of  the  numerous  coal  mines  in  and  about 
Springfield. 

Always  taking  a  deep  interest  in  military  affairs,  while  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits  Mr.  Dana  found  time  to  serve 
as  Inspector-General  of  the  Second  Brigade  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard  from  1874  to  1881,  inclusive,  and  is  now, 
1889,  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  the  Second  Brigade.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dana  have  not  any  children.  They  reside  in  Spring- 
field, Illinois. 

Mr.  Dana  was  one  of  the  nine  men  who  assembled  in  Me- 
morial Hall  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument,  February  12, 
1880,  and  there  organized  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  That 
day  he  was  elected  President,  and,  by  reelections,  has  been 
continued  in  office  to  the  present  time.  It  is  part  of  his  na- 
ture to  be  prompt  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  connected 
with  anything  he  undertakes.  He  has  been  our  only  Presi- 
dent, and  unless  there  is  a  change  not  now  contemplated,  he 
•will  remain  so  for  life. 

JASPER  NEWTON  REECE. 

Jasper  N.  Reece  was  born  April  30,  1841,  at  Abingdon, 
Knox  county,  Illinois.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  both  his 
parents  died,  leaving  him  to  take  his  chances  for  acquiring 
an  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  State. 

When  the  call  was  made  by  President  Lincoln,  in  April, 
1861,  for  75,000  volunteers  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  slave- 
holders' rebellion,  the  quota  of  Illinois  was  quickly  filled, 
leaving  thousands  of  men  ready  to  battle  for  their  country. 
Young  Reece,  with  others,  went  to  Missouri,  where  the  people 
were  not  so  loyal,  and  there  enlisted  in  a  regiment  for  that 
State.  In  May,  1864,  he  became  captain  of  Co.  C,  138th 
Illinois  Volunteers,  in  which  he  served  until  October  14,  1864, 
when  he  was  mustered  out  with  an  honorable  discharge. 


268  THE  LIXCODN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

September  19,  1861,  Jasper  N.  Reece  was  married  to  Miss 
M.  J.  Allen,  at  Abingdon,  Illinois.  They  have  three .  children. 
The  eldest,  Edwin  A.  Reece,  is  married.  He  is  connected  with 
the  Northern  Pacific  Express  Company,  and  is  located  at 
Phillipsburg,  Montana.  The  other  son,  Roy  R.,  and  daughter,. 
Cora,  reside  with  their  parents. 

In  1871  Mr.  Reece  was  elected  first  assistant  clerk  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  27th  General  Assembly  of 
Illinois.  From  1873  to  1879  he  acted  as  chief  clerk  in  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State,  under  Col.  George  H.  Harlow,  who 
was  twice  elected  for  four  years  each  term.  Mr.  Reece  served 
as  chief  clerk  in  the  office  of  U.  S.  Marshal  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Illinois,  from  July,  1880,  until  January,  1883.  He 
was  private  secretary  to  Governor  John  M.  Hamilton  from 
January,  1883,  to  January,  1885. 

Having  a  fondness  for  military  life,  early  in  1877,  Mr.  Reece 
became  a  member  of  Battery  B,  in  the  Illinois  National  Guard. 
In  July,  that  year,  he  was  promoted  to  Assistant  Adjutant 
General,  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  Colonel,  on  the  staff  of 
General  Erastus  N.  Ba.tes,  commanding  the  Second  Brigade. 
In  that  position  he  assisted  in  suppressing  the  riots  at  East> 
St.  Louis  in  July,  1877. 

In  November  following  General  Bates  resigned,  and  Colonel 
Reece  was  promoted  Brigadier  General,  to  fill  the  vacancy,, 
his  commission  dating  November  26,  1877. 

Gen.  Reece  \vas  ordered  by  the  Governor  of  Illinois  to  East 
St.  Louis,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  strike  by  the  railroad 
operatives  in  April,  1886.  For  six  weeks  he  held  the  reins 
with  such  a  firm  hand  as  to  bring  order  out  of  the  wildest 
confusion,  without  firing  a  gun. 

When  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  was  organized,  Gen.  J. 
N.  Reece  was  elected  Vice  President,  and  by  continuous  re- 
elections  has  held  the  office  to  the  present  time — 1889 — and 
will  doubtless  do  so  as  long  as  he  lives.  He  retains  his  farm- 
ing interests  in  Warren  county.  He  is  also  interested  in  coal 
mining  near  the  city  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  resides. 


THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR.  209 

JOHN  CARROLL   POWER. 

My  grandfather,  Joseph  Power,  was  the  youngest  of  seven 
brothers,  who  were  all  soldiers  from  Loudon  county,  Virginia, 
in  the  patriot  army  during  the  American  Revolution.  His 
second  son,  John  Power,  was  born  in  Loudon  county  in  1787. 
When  he  was  six  years  of  age  the  family  moved,  in  1793,  to 
what  became  Fleming  county,  Kentucky. 

The  Power  family  were  among  the  earliest  colonists  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  were  quite  numerous  in  the  counties  of  Loudon 
and  Norfolk.  Rev.  F.  D.  Power,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  who 
was  chaplain  of  the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives  during  the 
administration  of  President  Garfield,  is  a  native  of  the  latter 
county.  He  came  to  Springfield  a  few  years  ago,  and  in  an 

interview,  we,  from  various  causes, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  we  were 
both  descendants  of  the  same  early 
colonists.  But  at,  what  time  the 
family  came  from  Europe,  neither 
of  us  have  any  knowledge.  From 
him  I  learned  that  the  accompany- 
ing COAT  OF  ARMS  was  brought  from 
Ireland  by  the  earliest  emigrants  of 
the  name,  and  has  been  in  possess- 
sion  of  the  descendants  for  genera- 
tions. Not  being  versed  in  heraldry, 
I  do  not  know  the  significance  of  it, 
but  insert  it  here  as  a  family  curiosity.  Other  accounts  of 
the  Power  family  say,  that  with  a  little  different  spelling,  the 
name  came  to  England  with  William  the  Conquerer,  and  was 
taken  to  Ireland  with  some  military  expedition.  There  are 
families  of  the  same  name  in  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts. 
Some  of  them  spell  it  Powers.  We  who  adhere  to  the  shortest 
orthography,  believe  that  ours  was  the  original,  and  that 
others  have  carelessly  permitted  the  addition  of  the  letter  s, 
for  it  seems  easier  for  the  average  citizen  to  say  Powers  than 
Power. 

I  was  one  of  the  original  movers  in  organizing  the  Illinois 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  As  a  com- 
mon sense  precaution,  each  applicant  for  membership  is  re- 
•quired  to  furnish  documentary  evidence  that  one  or  more  of 


270  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

his  ancestors  aided  in  some  way  to  achieve  the  Independence 
of  the  United  States  of  America.  When  a  boy.  I  heard  my 
grandfather,  hundreds  of  times,  relate  incidents  of  his  army 
life  but  he  had  no  record  of  it  so  far  as  I  knew  To  what 
extent  the  Government  kept  a  record,  I  was  not  informed. 
In  February,  1890,  I  wrote  to  Hon.  Win.  M.  Springer,  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  my  own  district,  giving  a  brief  state- 
ment of  what  I  knew  on  the  subject,  and  asking  him  to  put 
me  in  the  way  to  learn  more.  In  due  time  a  communication 
came  to  me  from  Hon.  Green  B.  Raum,  Commissioner  of 
Pensions,  who  informed  me  that  all  the  records  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  in  possession  of  the  Government  at  Washing- 
ton, were  in  the  custody  of  the  Pension  Bureau. 

Gen.  Raum  caused  a  copy  to  be  made  from  the  records, 
which  shows  that  my  grandfather,  Joseph  Power,  was  born 
March  11,  1764,  near  Leesburg,  Loudon  county,  Virginia; 
that  in  November,  1780,  he  was  drafted  for  two  months,  and 
was  not  required  to  do  any  service,  except  to  march  to  Fred- 
ericsburg  and  return  home  to  await  further  orders. 

In  February,  1781,  he  was  drafted  for  three  months, 
marched  to  Williamsburg,  to  Yorktown,  back  to  Willliams- 
burg  and  Jamestown,  guarding  places  and  watching  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1781.  my  grandfather,  Joseph 
Power,  enlisted  for  three  months,  under  Capt.  Augustus  Elgin, 
to  serve  in  the  Battalion  commanded  by  Major  George  West, 
marched  to  Yorktown,  joined  the  main  army,  participated  in 
the  Siege  of  Yorktown,  and  the  capture  of  the  British  army 
and  its  commander,  Lord  Cornwallis,  October  19,  1781. 

March  19,  1890,  a  full  copy  of  the  transcript  from  the 
records  at  Washington,  was  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  the 
Illinois  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  in 
Chicago,  and  upon  that  evidence  my  name  was  enrolled  as 
a  member,  only  a  few  days  before  the  death  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Society,  Gen.  George. Crook. 

My  grandfather,  Joseph  Power,  died  in  Fleming  County, 
Kentucky,  June  4,  1849,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

There  is  a  curious  family  tradition  on  the  maternal  side  of 
my  ancestors.  The  story  is,  that  sometime  during  the  six- 
teenth century  i  after  a  great  storm,  in  which  many  ships  were 
wrecked  off  the  cost  of  Holland,  a  large  wooden  bowl  was 


J.  C,  POWER,  CUSTODIAN  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT, 

AS   AN   HONORARY   ME5IBKR   OP  THE 

LINCOLN  GRAND  GUARD  OF  HONOR,  CALIFORNIA  DIVISION, 

Photographed  on  his  70th  Birthday,  by  PlTTMAN. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  271 

found  afloat,  with  a  boy  babe  in  it,  quietly  sleeping.  He  was 
very  appropriately  christened  "Sea  Bowl."  He  became  a 
strong-,  healthy  man,  married,  and  raised  a  family.  In  time 
the  two  words  constituting  his  name  became  one,  and  with  a 
little  difference  in  orthography,  constituted  the  surname  of 
his  descendants.  One  of  them,  Jasper  Feybold,  found  his  way 
into  the  colony,  now  State  of  Maryland,  and  there  married  a 
Miss  Carroll,  belonging  to  one  of  the  numerous  Carroll  families 
of  that  State.  Jasper  Seybold  and  his  wife  moved  to  Flem- 
ing county,  Kentucky,  also,  where  they  raised  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  six  daughters. 

John  Power,  from  Loudon  county,  Virginia,  when  he  grew 
to  manhood,  married  one  of  the  Seybold  daughters — Sally 
Seybold.  They  were  my  parents.  I  was  born  in  Fleming 
county,  Kentucky,  September  19,  1819,  and  supplied  with  the 
name  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  John  Carroll  Power  and 
Sarah  A.  Harris  were  married  May  14,  1845,  at  Aurora,  Indi- 
ana, her  native  place.  Her  father,  William  Tell  Harris,  who 
died  many  years  ago,  was  an  accomplished  linguist.  He  was 
a  native  Englishman.  His  grandfather,  William  Fox,  founded 
the  first  Sunday  School  Society  in  the  world,  in  the  city  of 
London,  September  7,  1785.  Mrs.  Power's  grandfather  on 
the  maternal  side  was  Rev.  John  Wadsworth,  a  clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England.  He  was  rector  of  one  parish  near  the 
city  of  Manchester  for  about  forty  years.  Mrs.  Power  was 
educated  at  Granville,  Ohio,  in  an  institution  conducted  by 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  her  parents  were 
members. 

The  attempt  to  steal  the  body  of  Lincoln  attracted  almost 
universal  attention,  and  was  commented  on  in  ways  almost 
innumerable.  Being  then,  as  now,  Custodian  of  the  Monu- 
ment, my  name  was  often  mentioned.  Before  that  I  had 
formed  a  very  pleasant  acquaintance  with  General  Edwin  A. 
Sherman,  while  he  was  in  the  U.  S.  Government  service  at 
Reno,  Nevada,  and  after  the  removal  of  his  headquarters  to 
San  Francisco,  and  his  residence  to  Oakland,  California.  He 
had  visited  the  Lincoln  Monument,  and  is  at  the  head  of  The 
Lincoln  Grand  Guard  of  Honor,  which  holds  Lincoln  Memorial 
Services  in  many  towns  and  cities  on  the  Pacific  slope.  We 
have  kept  up  a  pleasant  correspondence  from  our  first  meet- 
ing to  the  present  time.  Gen.  Sherman  prepared  a  beautiful 


272  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

testimonial  in  recognition  of  the  services  of  the  Custodian.  It 
is  composed  of  a  sonnet,  with  a  likeness  of  the  Custodian,  the 
whole  surmounted  by  a  profile  of  Lincoln.  It  is  intended  to 
be,  and  is,  framed.  It  is  altogether  so  complimentary  that  I 
have  heretofore  refrained  from  publishing  it.  But  now  that  it 
forms  part  of  history,  I  insert  it  here: 

TO  JOHN  CARROLL  POWER. 
BY  MAJOK  E.  A.   SHERMAN,  BENO,  NEVADA, 

,  Oh,  guardian  of  a  Nation's  trust, 

Still  watchful  o'er  the  sacred  dust 

Of  martyred  Lincoln — immortal  gem 

In  Freedom's  treasured  diadem. 

Of  all  the  true  beneath  the  sun, 

Thou  faithful  soldier— knight !  "Well  done  I" 

Let  this  be  thine  emolument ; 

Thou  hast  kept  his  monument ! 

No  jackal,  lynx,  nor  prowling  ghoul, 

Nor  midnight  thief  with  burglar's  tool, 

Nor  traitor  spy,  nor  murd'rous  knave, 

Can  rob  the  Martyred  Lincoln's  grave. 

The  Jewel's  safe  beneath  the  tower — 

'Tis  guarded  well  by  Honor's  Power. 

Later,  Gen.  Sherman  summoned  some  of  his  immediate 
friends,  and  they  purchased  and  sent  to  the  Custodian  still 
other  valuable  testimonials.  One  is  in  the  form  of  a  collar, 
.of  the  richest  red,  white  and  blue  silk,  lined  with  crimson 
satin.  Gold  fringe  is  pendent  from  all  parts  of  it,  and  the 
entire  surface  is  covered  with  patriotic  emblems  in  gold.  Ac- 
companying the  collar  came  a  massive  ring  of  gold.  On  the 
outside  of  the  ring,  in  addition  to  some  cabalistic  letters  and 
characters,  the  sun  and  all-seeing  eye;  57,  the  number  they 
gave  him  as  an  honorary  member  of  their  local  society,  is 
enclosed  in  a  triangle;  21,  the  number  Illinois  occupies  as  a 
member  of  the  American  Union  of  States,  is  enclosed  in  a  five 
pointed  star;  13,  the  number  of  the  original  States  of  the 
Union;  38,  the  number  of  States  when  it  was  sent;  and  56, 
the  number  of  the  signers  to  the  Declaration  of  American  In- 
dependence ;  also  the  number  of  the  years  of  Lincoln's  age  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  These  latter  numbers  are  each  enclosed 
in  a  circle.  Inside,  the  ring  bears  the  inscription,  "To  Sup. 
Cust.,  G.  G.  C.,  John  C.  Power,  Springfield,  111.  From  his  Cali- 
fornia Fraters." 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  273 

Not  having  any  children  to  take  an  interest  in  these  souve- 
nirs, it  is  my  desire  that  they  shall  be  deposited  and  kept  in 
The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  cabinet,  which  we  expect  to  have 
prepared  and  placed  in  Memorial  Hall  of  the  National  Lin- 
coln Monument. 

I  was  elected  secretary  of  our  organization,  and  by  reelec- 
tions  have  continued  to  occupy  the  same  position. 

EDWARD  SHRADER  JOHNSON 

Was  born  August  29,  1843,  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  He  re- 
ceived such  education  as  the  public  schools  of  Springfield 
afforded,  and  in  addition  to  that,  served  four  years'  appren- 
ticeship at  the  printing  business.  He  was  engaged  with  his 
father  in  the  boot,  shoe  and  leather  trade  when  the  slave- 
holders' rebellion  broke  out.  He  enlisted  on  the  first  call  of 
President  Lincoln  for  75,000  men,  April,  1861,  in  Co.  I,  7th 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three  months;  was  appointed 
first  sergeant,  and  served  as  such  the  full  time  of  his  enlist- 
ment. He  reenlisted  July  24,  1861,  for  three  years,  in  the 
same  company  and  regiment,  at  Mound  City,  Illinois.  Ser- 
geant Johnson  remained  there  in  charge  of  the  regimental 
property  while  the  company  returned  home  on  furlough.  At 
the  election  of  officers  in  Springfield,  notwithstanding  his  ab- 
sence, he  was  elected  First  Lieutenant,  and  served  as  such 
until  February  15,  1862,  when  he  was  promoted  to  Captain, 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Captain  Noah  E. 
Mendell,  who  was  killed  in  battle  at  Fort  Donelson  two  days 
before.  Captain  Johnson  commanded  his  company  until  Dec. 
22,  1863,  when  he  reenlisted  with  his  company  as  a  veteran. 
He  continued  in  command  until  April  22,  1864,  when  he  was 
promoted  to  Major  of  the  regiment.  Major  Johnson  was  ap- 
pointed by  Gen.  John  M.  Corse,  September  30,  1864,  Post 
Commandant  at  Rome,  Georgia,  and  served  as  such  until  the 
movement  of  the  grand  army  on  Sherman's  "march  to  the 
sea,"  in  November  following.  He  then  returned  to  his  regi- 
ment until  all  were  mustered  out,  July  25,  1865. 

Major  E.  S.  Johnson  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  Pittsburgh  Landing,  siege  and  cap- 
ture of  Corinth,  Florence,  Savannah,  Bentonville,  besides  in- 
numerable skirmishes  amounting  almost  to  battles. 


274  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

While  the  Major  was  on  detached  duty,  his  only  brother,. 
John  W.  Johnson,  two  years  younger  than  himself,  and  a 
member  of  the" same  company  and  regiment,,  was  killed  Oct. 
4,  1864,  at  the  battle  of  Allatoona  Pass,  Georgia. 

Major  Johnson  was  engaged  in  business  in  Springfield  from 
the  close  of  the  rebellion  for  more  than  two  years.  In  con- 
sequence of  impaired  health,  and  for  observation,  he  planned 
a  European  tour,  and  in  company  with  Dr.  Rufus  S.  Lord 
(now  deceased),  left  Springfield  March  30,  1868.  They  went 
by  steamer  from  New  York  to  Liverpool,  thence  to  London, 
and  from  there  to  Paris.  From  Paris  they  went  to  Nice,  on 
the  Mediterranean,  entered  Italy  at  Genoa,  thence  to  Pisa, 
Leghorn  and  Naples.  They  visited  Herculaneum,  Pompeii, 
Vesuvius,  etc.,  etc.  From  Naples  to  Rome,  Florence  and  Ve- 
rona. In  Austria  they  visited  Trieste  and  Vienna,  thence  to 
Dresden,  in  Prussia.  From  there  to  Berlin,  Pottsdam,  Co- 
logne, down  the  Rhine  to  Coblentz  and  Mayence,  where  they 
left  the  Rhine  and  visited  Baden  Baden,  Heidelberg  and  Stras- 
bourg; entered  Switzerland  at  Basle,  thence  to  Berne,  Lu- 
zerne,  Mount  Rigi,  Martigny,  and  by  the  mountain  pass,  Tete 
Noir,  to  Chamounix,  in  the  midst  of  the  mountain  region 
including  Mont  Blanc.  Thence  to  Geneva,  and  from  there  to 
Paris,  where  he  met  Dr.  Lord,  from  whom  he  had  separated 
at  Strasbourg.  From  Paris  they  went  to  London,  thence  ta 
Edinburg,  Scotland,  and  back  to  Liverpool,  where  they  took 
steamer  for  New  York.  From  the  latter  city  they  proceeded 
to  Saratoga,  Ticonderoga,  on  Lake  George,  Plattsburg,  Og- 
densburg,  Prescott,  Montreal,  Quebec,  Toronto,  Niagara  Falls, 
Buffalo  and  Sarnia,  where  they  took  steamer  for  Chicago, 
reaching  Springfield  early  in  September,  having  spent  more 
than  five  months  in  physically  and  mentally  invigorating 
travel. 

Edward  S.  Johnson  was  married  August  10,  1869,  in  Spring- 
field, to  Laura  I.  Clinton,  who  was  born  October  21,  1848, 
in  Springfield,  also.  They  have  three  children — Edward  Rus- 
sell, Robert  Stanton  and  Mary  Clinton. 

Mr.  Joel  Johnson,  the  father  of  Edward  S.,  was  a  native  of 
Massachusetts.  In  1835  he  commenced  keeping  hotel  in 
Springfield,  and  continued  in  the  business  forty-two  years. 
Late  in  life  he  founded  one  of  the  principal  hotels  in  Spring- 
field, and  in  honor  of  a  historic  name  and  event  of  his  native 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  275 

State,  called  it  the  "Revere  House."  Soon  after  Edward  S. 
returned  from  his  European  tour  he  was  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  hotel  business,  and  on  the  death  of  the  latter, 
in  May,  1877,  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Revere  House, 
which  he  is  conducting  at  the  present  time — 1889. 

After  the  attempt  to  steal  the  remains  of  President  Lin- 
coln, in  selecting  only  men  who  were  known  to  be  true  and 
trusty  to  guard  them,  the  writer,  having  been  deeply  im- 
pressed with  his  brilliant  record  as  a  soldier  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union,  and  his  many  other  excellent  qualities, 
invited  Major  Edward  S.  Johnson  to  join  us,  which  he  ac- 
cepted, and  became  one  of  the  nine  who  organized  The  Lincoln 
Guard  of  Honor.  He  has  been  prompt  and  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  every  duty.  Now  that  our  work  is  done,  he,  with 
the  others  forming  our  band,  will,  no  doubt,  remain  a  member 
for  life. 

JAMES  FLOYD  M'NEILL. 

James  F.  McNeill  was  born  October  15,  1841,  in  Springfield, 
Illinois,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  graduated 
in  the  High  School  of  that  city.  Two  months  before  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  enlisted,  August  12,  18(52,  for  three 
years  in  Co.  G,  114th  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  to  aid  in 
suppressing  the  great  slaveholders'  rebellion.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  seargent-major,  served  the  full  term  of  his  enlistment 
and  three  days  over,  and  was  honorably  discharged  Aug  15, 
1865.  He  was  afterwards  clerk  in  the  office  of  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral of  the  State.  Then  he  became  corresponding  clerk  in 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  re- 
mained with  that  institution  until  the  spring  of  1883, 
when  he  resigned  in  order  to  go  into  business  at 
Oskaloosa,  Iowa.  He~is  now— 1889 — assistant  cashier  in  The 
Farmers  and  Traders  National  Bank  of  that  city. 

The  origin  of  this  branch  of  the  McNeill  family  in  America 
was  with  two  brothers — John  and  Archibald  McNeill — who 
emigrated  from  Scotland  in  1770.  Archibald  was  a  physician, 
and  settled  in  Georgia.  John  was  a  General  in  the  British 
army.  He  took  leave  of  absence  and  settled  in  Kent  county, 
in  the  colony  of  Maryland.  When  the  war  was  commenced  by 
England,  in  1775,  against  the  colonists,  because  they  would 
not  submit  to  taxation  without  representation,  Gen.  McNeill 


276  THE  LINCOLN   GUAKD   OF  HONOR. 

was  ordered  home  for  duty,  but  refused  to  go,  his  sympathies 
being  with  the  colonists.  He  aided  them  in  many  ways  with- 
out entering  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  was  trusted  by 
them  in  return.  At  one  time  some  American  officers  were 
holding  a  consultation  at  his  residence.  He  discovered  a  man 
under  a  window,  eavesdropping.  He  walked  back  and  forth 
by  the  window,  with  apparent  unconcern,  until  he  threw  the 
man  off  his  guard,  and  then,  with  a  sudden  movement,  plunged 
his  cane  through  the  glass  into  the  face  of  the  eavesdropper, 
who,  with  a  howl  of  pain,  escaped  with  the  loss  of  an  eye. 

When  General  McNeill  declined  to  obey  the  summons  of  his 
government,  to  be  put  in  a  position  to  fight  the  colonists, 
which  he  believed  would  be  wrong,  that  was  very  near 
of  kin  to  doing  the  right,  by  fighting  for  them.  So  that, 
if  such  a  term  were  admissible,  he  was  negatively  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier  and  officer. 

Gen.  John  McNeill  had  two  sons.  His  eldest  son,  Francis 
Asbury  McNeill,  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1 809,  the  same  year 
in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  He  became  a  minister 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  time  his  health 
failed  so  that  he  could  not  regularly  continue  public  speaking. 
That  caused  him  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, and  in  1834  became  a  graduate  as  Doctor  of  Medicine, 
at  the  University  of  Maryland,  in  Baltimore.  Dr.  F.  A.  McNeill 
moved  with  his  family  to  Springfield,  in  1835,  where  he  prac- 
ticed medicine  for  twelve  years,  still  retaining  his  ministerial 
connection.  In  1847  he  again  resumed  his  ministerial  labors, 
which  he  regarded  as  the  real  work  of  his  life.  After  about 
five  years  thus  spent,  he  was  again  compelled  to  abandon  it. 

His  great  abhorrence  of  human  slavery  led  him  to  feel  that 
it  was  not  derogatory  to  his  ministerial  profession  for  him  to 
take  part  in  politices,  and  he  was  a  delegate  from  Ogle  county, 
Illinois,  to  the  convention  at  Bloomington,  in  1856,  which 
gave  birth  to  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois.  Being  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  he  was  among  the 
first  to  advocate,  as  an  editor  at  Mt.  Morris  and  in  public 
speeches,  his  election  to  the  office  of  President  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  one  of  the  Representatives  from  Ogle  county 
in  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  when  the  rebellion  commenced  in 
1861.  He  was,  at  different  times,  army  surgeon  and  army 
chaplain,  both  in  the  field  and  at  different  posts.  Rev.  Fran- 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  277 

cis  A.  McNeill,  M.  D.,  died  February  3,  1872,  at  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  county-,  Illinois.  His  eldest  living  son  bears  the  name  at 
the  head  of  this  sketch. 

The  most  difficult  part  of  preparing  these  sketches  of  our 
members,  has  been  to  induce  the  six  who  each  did  gallant 
service  in  the  Union  army,  to  give  a  plain  statement  of  their 
individual  services.  This  reluctance  comes,  doubtless,  through 
fear  lest  they  should  seem  to  magnify  their  own  achievements, 
which  is  one  of  many  evidences  that  the  truly  brave  man  is 
always  modest  and  unassuming.  Not  ha,ving  an  opportunity, 
after  I  commenced  the  preparation  of  them,  for  a  personal 
interview  with  Mr.  McNeill,  I  finally  drew  from  him  a  written 
statement,  which  I  give  verbatim.  His  comrades  speak  of 
him  in  the  highest  terms,  but  there  could  not  be  anything 
more  modest  than  this  statement: 

"As  to  the  battles  I  was  in  during  the  war,  I  can  make  no  great  boast.  It  was 
my  fortune — good  or  bad — to  be  considered  smart  enough  for  clerical  work  at 
Quartermaster's  Department  and  sundry  Headquarders  of  District,  Post,  etc.,  until 
the  greater  part  of  my  term  of  enlistment  had  expired  before  I  could  get  to  my 
regiment,  which  was  done  after  much  struggling  on  my  part.  After  I  joined  the- 
regiment  I  was  with  it  until  mustered  out,  in  all  its  duty,  beginning  at  the  terrible 
disaster  of  Guntown,  Mississippi,  which  misfortune  was  retrieved  shortly  after  at 
Tupelo ;  thence  through  Arkansas  and  Missouri  to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  wind- 
ing up  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Mobile.  Yet,  as  I  say,  my  experience  in  battles, 
as  compared  with  so  many,  is  to  me  no  foundation  for  claim  to  meritorious- 
mention.  I  think  it  was  to  my  hurt  that  I  was  detached  from  my  regiment  so  long, 
and  it  was  not  my  seeking  or  preference,  but  I,  soldier-like,  could  only  submit." 

[To  have  served  from  Guntown  to  Mobile  would  not  admit 
of  a  disparaging  remark,  from  any  other  than  the  man  who 
rendered  the  service. — EDITOR.] 

After  his  service  in  the  army  in  time  of  war,  James  F. 
McNeill  took  an  active  part  in  military  affairs,  while  in  Spring- 
field, in  connection  with  the  Illinois  National  Guard.  He  was 
the  first  Adjutant  General  of  the  Second  Brigade,  under  Gen. 
E.  N.  Bates,  which  position  he  resigned  to  accept  the  adju- 
tancy of  the  Fifth  Regiment,  under  Col.  James  H.  Barkley, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the 
regiment,  which  office  he  held  until  his  resignation,  when  he 
was  about  to  move  from  the  State  to  Iowa,  in  1883. 

James  F.  McNeill  was  married  in  Springfield,  November  18, 
1872,  to  Miss  Julia  E.  Hibbs,  a  native  of  New  York  city. 
They  have  two  children — Walter  F.  and  Mabel. 


278  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

Mr.  McNeill,  being-  one  of  the  nine  who  organized  it,  was 
elected  Treasurer  of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  and  con- 
tinued to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  office  until  his  removal 
from  the  State.  He  still  retains  his  membership,  and  will  do 
so  for  life.  He,  with  his  family,  reside  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa. 

JOSEPH    PERRY  LIXDLEY. 

Joseph  P.  Lindley  was  born  March  20,  1842,  at  Mansfield, 
Ohio.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  were 
married  there,  and  moved  to  Ohio  in  1821.  They  both  died 
when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  wras  seven  years  of  age.  He 
was  engaged  in  business  in  Ohio  county,  Kentucky,  when  the 
slaveholders'  rebellion  commenced.  In  1863  he  entered  the 
telegraph  service  as  operator,  in  connection  with  railroading. 
In  1867  he  became  the  local  ticket  agent  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  railroad,  and  has  occupied  that 
position  continuously  to  the  present  time— 1889. 

Joseph  P.  Lindley  and  Miss  Julia  A.  Herndon  were  married 
in  Springfield,  November  19,  1878.  They  have  one  son,  Joseph 
Fleetwood  Lindley,  born  April  4,  1887. 

Mr.  Lindley  has  been  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  for  many  years,  and  is  now  Eminent  Commander 
of  Elwood  Commandery  No.  6,  Knights  Templar,  in  Springfield. 

Mr.  Lindley  was  in  full  sympathy  with  the  Union  cause 
during  the  war,  and  in  connection  with  telegraphy  and  rail- 
roading, his  services,  though  not  equal  in  aid  of  suppressing 
the  rebellion,  were  next  in  importance  to  carrying  a  musket. 

By  consulting  the  eighty-second  and  two  succeeding  pages 
of  this  volume,  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Lindley  was  one  of 
the  six  men  who  prepared  for  the  secret  burial  of  President 
Lincoln's  body,  by  placing  it  in  a  receptacle  for  that  purpose 
on  the  night  of  November  18,  1878.  For  want  of  time,  and 
the  desire  to  get  out  of  the  suffocating-  atmosphere  in  which 
we  were  compelled  to  labor,  it  was  not  completed  that  night, 
but  the  grave  was  left  about  midnight  for  the  Custodian  to 
fill  up.  The  next  day  Mr.  Lindley  was  married,  and  was  away 
on  his  wedding  tour,  when  the  Custodian  received  warning, 
through  the  U.  S.  mail,  of  possible  danger  -on  the  night  of 
November  21.  The  absence  of  Mr.  Lindley  on  his  pleasant 
mission,  the  demands  on  the  time  of  McNeill,  Johnson  and 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  279 

the  Custodian,  by  the  great  number  of  visiting  Odd  Fellows 
in  the  city,  made  it  devolve  on  Dana  and  Reece  to  fill  up  the 
grave  on  November  22,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  reference  above. 
Joseph  P.  Lindley  was  one  of  the  nine  men  who,  by  mutual 
agreement,  assembled  in  Memorial  Hall  in  the  monument  and 
organized  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  As  a  member  of  that 
organization  he  has  ever  been  true  and  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  every  duty.  When  Mr.  McNeill  moved  to  Iowa  in 
1883,  thus  vacating  the  office  of  Treasurer,  Mr.  Lindley,  at 
the  informal  request  of  the  other  members,  discharged  the  duties 
of  the  office  pro  tern,  to  the  end  of  Mr.  McNeilL's  term.  At  the 
annual  election  in  1884,  Mr.  Lindley  was  elected  Treasurer,  and 
has  continued  by  reelection  to  the  present  time — 1889.  He 
will  doubtless  fill  the  office,  the  duties  of  which  are  now  nomi- 
nal, to  the  end  of  his  life. 

NOBLE    BATES    WIGGINS. 

Noble  B.  Wiggins  was  born  October  21,  1841,  on  a  farm 
at  Newburgh,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  His  remote  ancestors 
were  from  England  and  Wales.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Montpelier,  Vermont,  and  his  mother  of  Newburgh,  Ohio. 

N.  B.  Wiggins  was  brought  up  to  farm  labor  in  summer, 
and  attending  district  school  in  winter.  In  the  fall  of  1859 
he  was  placed  in  the  educational  institution  at  Hiram.  Ohio, 
presided  over  by  James  A.  Garfield.  After  two  years  devoted 
to  study  he  enlisted,  September  19,  1861,  at  Newburgh.  Ohio, 
in  Co.  G,  42d  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three 
years.  The  42d  regiment  was  commanded  by  Col.  James.  A. 
Garfield  until  he  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General,  in  the 
line  of  promotion  that  led  up  to  the  office  of  President  of 
the  United  States. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  understand  something  of  the 
hardships  endured  by  the  young  men  who  volunteered  to  sus- 
tain the  government  of  our  country,  while  others  under  just 
the  same  obligation  to  sustain  it,  were  in  armed  rebellion 
against  its  lawful  authority,  I  will  give  a  brief  synopsis  of 
what  one  of  the  most  fortunate  of  those  young  men  endured 
— fortunate  because  he  got  through  without  the  loss  of  life  or 
limb. 

After  Private  Wiggins'  enlistment,  the  regiment  went  into 
Camp  Chase,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  October  8.  The  men  were 
emploj'ed  in  constant  drilling  until  the  last  of  December,  when 


280  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Big  Sandy  river,  West  Virginia. 
Twelve  days  after  leaving  Camp  Chase,  January  10,  1862, 
they  were  led  into  the  battle  of  Middle  Creek  by  Col.  Garfield. 
The  rebels  were  commanded  by  Humphrey  Marshall,  of  Ken- 
tucky. In  February  the  regiment  made  a  forced  march  of 
twenty-five  miles  in  one  day  and  captured  Pound  Gap,  an 
important  strategic  point.  A  month  or  two  later,  the  42d 
was  sent  to  Louisville,  and  from  there  to  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. From  there  they  marched  across  the  State  to  Cum- 
berland Gap,  another  important  point,  arriving  in  July. 
There  Private  Biggins  was  promoted  to  corporal,  and  assigned 
to  color-guard  of  the  regiment.  In  August  they  were  in  the 
battle  of  Tazewell,  Claibourne  county,  Tennessee.  In  Septem- 
tember  the  42d  left  the  Gap  for  a  march  across  the  State  of 
Kentucky  to  Greenupsburg,  on  the  Ohio  river,  one  of  the 
hardest  marches  recorded  during  the  war,  and  their  only  sub- 
sistence for  sixteen  days  was  parched  and  grated  corn.  The 
regiment  crossed  over  into  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  after  three 
weeks  rest  in  camp,  were  ordered  up  the  Kanawha  valley  to 
Charleston,  West  Virginia.  In  November,  the  42d  went  down 
the  Kanawha,  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee, and  from  there  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  riverr 
arriving  December  25.  On  the  morning  of  the  26th  they  left 
their  boats.  From  that  to  the  30th  they  were  in  one  con- 
tinuous battle,  ending  in  the  charge  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  one 
of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the  war.  In  this  series  of 
battles  the  entire  forces  on  the  Union  side  were  commanded 
by  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman.  January  1,  1863,  the  42d  went  down 
the  Yazoo  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  went  into  camp  at 
Young's  Point.  January  10  the  42d,  with  other  forces,  were 
in  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post,  under  command  of  Gen.  John 
A.  McClernand,  of  Springfield,  Illinois.  After  that  battle  they 
were  ordered  back  to  Young's  Point,  and  worked  on  the  canal 
intended  to  cut  Vicksburgh  off  from  navigation.  In  March 
they  were  sent  to  Milliken's  Bend,  from  there  across  the  country 
to  a  point  below  Vicksburg.  There  the  42d  Ohio  Infantry 
became  a  part  of  the  vast  army  under  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  that, 
about  May  1,  commenced  the  siege  that  terminated  July  4, 
1863,  in  the  capture  of  all  the  strongholds  of  the  rebels,  with 
vast  quantities  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war,  in  and  around 
Vicksbnrg,  Mississippi,  with  forty  thousand  prisoners  of  war. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  281 

From  there  the  42d  Regiment  was  transferred  to  the  Army 
of  the  Gulf.  Corporal  Wiggins  was  promoted  to  First  Ser- 
geant. They  had  no  more  hard  fighting,  but  were  constantly 
on  the  move,  serving  nearly  two  and  a  half  months  over  the 
term  of  his  enlistment.  Sergeant  Wiggins  was  mustered  out 
with  his  regiment,  receiving  an  honorable  discharge,  at  Col- 
umbus, Ohio,  Dec.  2,  1864. 

A  summary  of  the  services  of  Sergeant  Wiggins  may  be 
stated  something  like  the  following:  He  marched  four  times 
across  the  State  of  Kentucky.  All  his  marching  reached  over 
3,000  miles,  and  the  longest  period  he  was  perrnited  to  re- 
main in  any  one  camp  was  three  months,  in  1864,  at  Pla- 
quamirie,  Louisiana. 

The  important  battles  in  which  he  bore  apart,  were:  Mid- 
dle Creek,  Ky.,  Pound  Gap,  Ky.,  Cumberland  Gap  and  the  cap- 
ture of  Tazewell,  Tenn. ;  sixteen  days  constant  skirmishing,  on 
parched  corn  rations,  from  Cumberland  Gap  to  the  Ohio  river; 
Chickasaw  Bayou  or  Haines'  Bluff;  Arkansas  Post  and  seige 
and  capture  of  Vicksburg. 

This  may  appear  like  an  extended  notice,  but  it  really  com- 
presses into  the  very  smallest  limits,  that  which  may  be  said 
of  a  large  majority  of  more  than  a  million  of  men,  who  so 
loved  their  country  that  they  were  willing  to  cast  their  lives 
in  the  balance,  against  others  of  almost  equal  numbers,  who 
had  determined  that  if  they  could  not  use  the  machinery  of 
government  to  rule  the  fairest  land  on  earth,  in  the  interest 
of  slavery  and  oppression,  they  would  ruin  it.  The  mental 
and  physical  strain  of  years  of  marching  and  fighting,  with 
carnage  of  battle  and  witnessing  the  burial  of  comrades  by 
thousands  in  trenches,  would  seem  to  be  sufficient  to  oblit- 
erate all  the  finer  feelings  of  our  nature.  But  we  find,  that 
like  hundreds  of  thousands  of  others,  Sergeant  Wiggins  passed 
through  it  all,  and  came  out  one  of  the  most  kindly  and 
genial  of  gentlemen. 

He  remained  at  and  about  his  former  home  in  Ohio  nearly 
two  and  a  half  years. 

Newburg  is  the  home  of  a  branch  of  the  famous  hotel  family 
of  the  Lelands.  April  6,  1867,  N.  B.  Wiggins  left  Ohio,  for 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  became  identified  with  the  new  Leland 
Hotel,  just  completed  in  that  place,  by  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany, at  a  cost  of  $320,000. 


282  THE  LINCOLN  GUAKD  OF  HONOR. 

Noble  B.  Wiggins  and  Clarissa  P.  Leland  were  married  Oct. 
21,  1869,  at  Newburgh,  Ohio.  They  have  two  sons  and  a 
daughter;  Horace  Leland  Wiggins,  born  March  27,  1871; 
Lewis  N.  Wiggins,  born  May  22,  1876,  and  Lucy  Alice  Wig- 
gins, born  July  7,  1881,  all  three  in  Springfield,  Illinois. 
They  have  also  an  adopted  son,  Jerome  A.  Leland,  born  in 
New  York  City,  July  30,  1874.  The  father  of  the  latter,  Ma- 
jor George  S.  Leland,  was  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Wiggins.  Major 
Leland  was  Chief  Commissary  in  the  Union  army,  and  was 
stationed  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  during  the  year  1863 
and  4.  Major  Leland  died  at  New  York,  August  3,  1882. 

N.  B.  Wiggins  has  always  taken  much  interest  in  military 
affairs,  and  since  the  Illinois  National  Guard  was  organized, 
under  the  laws  of  the  State,  in  the  year  1877,  he  has  been 
on  the  military  staff,  successively,  of  all  the  Governors  of  the 
State — Beveridge,  Cullom,  Hamilton,  Oglesby  and  Fifer.  He 
now — 1889 — holds  the  rank  of  Colonel  and  A.  D.  C. 

Colonel  N.  B.  Wiggins  was  one  of  the  nine  men  who  organ- 
ized The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  and  has  always  been 
prompt  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  connected  with  the 
same,  and  like  each  of  the  others,  he  will  be  a  member  for  life. 

With  his  brother-in-law,  Horace  S.  Leland,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Leland  &  Wiggins,  they  are  the  owners  and  proprie- 
tors of  the  Leland  Hotel  and  Leland  farm,  at  Sprnigfield, 
Illinois.  (July,  1889.)  Horace  S.  Leland  died  at  the  Leland 
Hotel,  August  4,  1889,  leaving  Mr.  Wiggins  in  charge  of  the 
hotel. 

HORACE  CHAPIN. 

Horace  Chapin  was  born  December  27,  1827,  at  Springfield, 
Massachusetts.  He  is  in  the  seventh  generation  from  Deacon 
Samuel  Chapin,  who  as  one  of  the  Boston  colony,  was  among 
the  first  to  leave  there  and  settle  in  Springfield.  Quartus 
€hapin,  in  the  sixth  generation  from  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin, 
was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Quartus  Chapin, 
on  the  day  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  enlisted  in  Cap- 
tain Carew's  company  of  Massachusetts  militia,  and  shoul- 
dered his  musket  in  defense  of  Boston,  in  the  war  with  Eng- 
land in  1812.  Quartus  Chapiii  afterwards  married  Kuby  Sex- 
ton, of  Somers,  Connecticut.  They  lived  many  years  in  the 
town  of  Chicopee,  Hamden  county,  Massachusetts,  mov- 


THE   LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  283 

"Ing  from  there  to  Concord,  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  in  1853, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1858.  The  sou,  Horace  Chapin,  was  educated  at 
Williston  Seminary,  East  Hampton,  Massachusetts.  In  1849, 
he  went  to  Perrineville,  Monmouth  county,  New  Jersey. 
There,  and  at  two  other  points  in  the  same  county,  he  spent 
three  years  in  teaching.  From  there  he  came  to  Morgan 
county,  Illinois,  in  1853,  where,  in  company  with  his  brother 
Lyman,  they  purchased  land,  and  opened  successfully  a  large 
stock  and  grain  farm.  A  part  of  that  farm  has  become  a 
"villiage  of  four  or  five  hundred  inhabitants,  and  bears  the 
name  of  Chapin.  It  is  on  the  Wabash  railroad,  ten  miles 
west  of  Jacksonville. 

Horace  Chapin  and  Miss  Augusta  Svvazey,  a  native  of  Buck- 
port,  Maine,  were  married  January  10,  1859,  at  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota. 

When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  opened,  Horace  Chapin  was 
in  full  tide  of  his  farming  operations.  He  was  importuned  by 
ten  or  more  of  his  workmen  to  go  into  the  army,  who  said, 
**If  you  will  go,  we  will  go  with  you."  Hastily  making  ar- 
rangements for  leaving  his  farming  interests  in  the  hands  of 
his  brother  Lyman,  he  enlisted  August  20,  1861,  in  Co.  K, 
27th  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three  years,  and  was  soon 
after  raised  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant  of  the  company. 
After  the  battle  of  Belmont,  Missouri,  November  7,  1861,  he 
was  promoted  to  Captain  of  Co.  D,  in  the  same  regiment,  which 
company  he  commanded  in  the  battles  of  Union  City,  Island  No. 
10,  and  Corinth,  Mississippi;  Nashville,  LaVergne  and  Stone 
River,  Tennessee,  and  Chickamauga,  Georgia.  In  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  September,  20,  1863,  he  received  a  gunshot 
wound  in  the  ankle  joint  of  his  right  leg.  Nine  weeks  later  the 
leg  was  amputated  about  three  inches  below  the  knee.  Capt. 
Chapin  afterwards  received  a  recommendation  signed  by  Gen. 
Sheridan,  his  Division  commander,  Col.  Bradley,  his  Brigade 
commander,  and  all  the  officers  of  his  own  regiment,  for  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Invalid  Corps,  which  he  declined  to  apply  for,  but 
returned  home  and  was  honorably  discharged,  being  mustered 
out  of  the  service  in  September,  1864.  He  removed  his  family 
from  Chapin  to  Jacksonville,  where  he  was  appointed  assistant 
United  States  assessor  in  the  Tenth  District  of  Illinois.  He 
served  in  that  capacity  from  July,  1865,  to  April,  1867,  when 


284:  THE  LINCOLN   GUARD   OF  HONOR. 

he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Jacksonville,  by  President 
Johnson,  and  reappointed  by  President  Grant,  serving,  in  all, 
four  years. 

In  April,  1867,  Captain  Chapin  purchased  a  two-thirds  in- 
terest in  the  Jacksonville  daily  and  weekly  Journal.  He  as- 
sumed the  business  management  of  the  same  in  July,  1871. 
In  April,  1875,  Mr.  M.  F.  Simmons  purchased  one-third  in- 
terest in  the  paper  of  Mr.  R.  H.  Hobart,  the  editor,  and  one- 
half  of  Captain  Chapin's  interest.  By  this  transaction,  Mr. 
Simmons  became  two-thirds  owner,  and  assumed  editorial 
control,  leaving  Captain  Chapin  one-third  owner  and  business 
manager.  In  1876  he  disposed  of  his  remaining  interest,  and 
in  September,  1878,  purchased  an  interest  in  the  property  and 
associated  press  franchise  of  the  Illinois  State  Journal,  at 
Springfield,  the  oldest  newspaper  in  the  State,  and  became  its 
business  manager.  In  February,  1885,  Mr.  Chapin  sold  out 
his  interest  in  the  State  Journal,  and  has  not  since  been  in 
the  newspaper  business. 

While  Captain  Chapin  lived  in  Springfield,  The  Lincoln  Guard 
of  Honor  was  organized.  The  writer  of  this  thought  that  a 
man  who  had  made  such  sacrifices  for  the  principles  Lincoln 
died  for,  could  be  trusted  to  guard  his  tomb;  he  therefore 
called  upon  and  invited  the  Captain  to  take  part  in  instituting 
a  society  for  that  purpose.  The  invitation  was,  after  due 
consideration,  accepted,  and  every  duty  connected  with  it  has 
been  faithfully  and  patriotically  discharged.  He  will  doubt- 
less remain  a  member  for  life. 

Captain  Chapin  has  no  children.  Himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  reside  in  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois. 

CLINTON  LEVERING  CONKLING. 

Clinton  L.  Conkling  was  born  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  Oct. 
16,  1843.  His  remote  ancestors,  on  his  father's  side,  came 
from  England  about  1650,  and  settled  at  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, and  afterwards  moved  to  East  Hampton,  Long  Island, 
New  York,  from  whence  the  family  spread  through  New  York 
State  and  elsewhere  in  the  country. 

The  Levering  family  settled,  before  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, at  Gerrnantown,  now  part  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  285 

Some  of  their  descendents  moved  into  Maryland.  James  C. 
Conkling,  a  native  of  New  York  city,  became  a  graduate  of 
Princeton  College,  New  Jersey,  came  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  in 
November,  1838,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  following 
winter.  He  was  married 'in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  September 
21,  1841,  to  Miss  Mercy  A.  Levering,  a  native  of  that  city. 
They  are  the  parents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Hon.  James  C.  Conkling  was  cotemporary  with  Abraham 
Lincoln  from  the  time  they  both  began  to  practice  law  in 
Springfield,  until  Mr.  Lincoln  became  President  of  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Conkling  now,  after  more  than  half  a  century  of 
continuous  practice  in  the  State  and  Federal  courts,  and  the 
administration  of  many  public  trusts,  with  snow-white  locks, 
moves  with  a  step  as  elastic  as  that  of  many  a  younger  man. 
He  continues  to  reside  in  Springfield.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  Associa- 
tion, and  is  now  a  member  of  the  same,  reorganized  as  the 
Lincoln  Monument  Association. 

When  Clinton  L.  Conkling  was  a  boy  there  were  no  public 
schools  in  Springfield,  as  we  understand  the  term  now;  but 
through  such  public  schools  as  there  were,  and  private  tuition, 
he  acquired  sufficient  education  to  prepare  him  for  college. 
In  1860  he  was  admitted  to  Yale  College,  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, and  graduated  there  in  1864.  He  was  admitted  to 
practice  law  in  the  State  and  Federal  courts  in  1867,  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  has  since  been  admitted  to  practice 
in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

A  little  episode  in  connection  with  his  college  days  is  indeli- 
bly impressed  on  the  mind  of  Mr.  Conkling.  He  was  spending 
his  vacation  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  with  relatives  on  his 
mother's  side.  On  the  ever  memorable  April  19,  1861,  when 
the  first  Union  soldiers  from  Massachusetts,  passing  through 
that  city  on  their  way  to  the  capital  of  the  nation,  were  as- 
sailed by  a  rebel  mob  with  paving  stones  and  gunshots,  and 
some  of  their  number  killed.  The  soldiers,  in  return,  fired  on 
the  mob,  and  killed  some  of  their  number.  This  was  the  first 
blood  shed  by  the  great  slaveholder's  rebellion.  C.  L.  Conk- 
ling, then  but  little  more  than  seventeen  years  of  age,  was  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  mob,  where  people  of  Union  and  secession 
sentiments  indiscriminately  commingled.  He  saw  that  fight- 
ing was  going  on,  and  finally  that  lives  had  been  lost  on  both 


286  THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR. 

sides.  He  remembers  distinctly  the  impressions  made 
his  own  mind,  that  war  had  actually  commenced,  but  where 
it  would  end,  no  mortal  could  tell.  For  ten  or  twelve  days 
after  that,  he  Avas  unable  to  get  a  telegram  to  his  parents 
in  Springfield,  or  to  get  out  of  the  city. 

It  is  a  memorable  coincidence  that  this  was  the  eighty-sixth 
anniversary  of  the  first  blood  shed  in  the  American  Revolution, 
at  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  April  19,  1775.  Later  in  the  war, 
when  everything  in  Baltimore  was  completely  under  control 
of  the  government,  it  so  happened  that  young  Conkling  was 
again  there  on  a  visit  when  a  rebel  raid  under  Gilmore,  the 
famous  cavalry  leader,  was  made  into  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  Conkling  remembers  that  the  excitement  was,, 
for  a  time,  almost  as  great  as  that  of  April  nineteenth. 

Mr.  Conkling  has  never  been  a  seeker  after  official  positions 
to  any  considerable  extent,  although  he  has  discharged  some 
important  duties  in  connection  with  county  affairs.  He  has 
been  connected  with  the  public  city  library  of  Springfield,  for 
some  years,  as  director.  He  is  now  President  of  the  Board 
of  Education  for  the  city  of  Springfield,  and  is  generally  in- 
terested in  public  affairs. 

Clinton  L.  Conkling  and  Miss  Georgie  Barrell  were  married 
March  12,  1868,  in  Springfield.  They  have  two  daughters,. 
Georgie  B.  Conkling  and  Katharine  L.  Conkling. 

At  the  organization  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
Association,  May  11,  1865,  C.  L.  Conkling  was  elected  Secre- 
tary, though  nut  a  member  of  the  Association.  He  served 
through  the  time  of  and  superintended  all  the  heaviest  work, 
such  as  preparing  and  sending  out  circulars  and  recording 
the  contributions  as  they  came  in.  In  consequence  of  business 
engagements  he  tendered  his  resignation  as  Secretary  Dec.. 
28,  1865,  which  was  accepted  Jan.  18,  1866. 

When  the  time  came  that  it  was.  believed  organized  protec- 
tion of  the  body  of  President  Lincoln  against  ghouls  and 
vandals  was  necessary,  great  caution  was  exercised,  in  order 
that  none  but  the  trustworthy  should  be  placed  on  guard. 
Clinton  L.  Conkling  was  invited  to  be  one  of  the  little  band. 
Upon  the  object  and  necessity  for  such  an  organization  being 
explained  to  him,  he  entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  it,  and 
was  one  of  the  nine  who,  by  mutual  agreement,  organized 


THE  LINCOLN  GUARD  OF  HONOR.  287 

The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  As  will  be  seen  in  the  record, 
he  has  often  aided  very  materially  in  our  Memorial  services, 
and  always  contributed  liberally  to  defray  the  expenses.  Al- 
though there  is  not  likely  to  be  anything  further  for  us  to  do, 
he,  with  all  the  others,  will  remain  a  member  for  life. 

He  is  now — 1889— a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Conkling  & 
Grout,  practicing  attorneys  of  Springfield,  Illinois. 

THE  END. 


